Holyoke High School - Annual Yearbook (Holyoke, MA)

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he was then attending, to dig the first spade- ful of dirt for the new annex. The Holyoke Vocational School, as organ- ized by the school board of Holyoke, opened on September S, 1913. It was the consummation of the preliminary efforts of the school author- ities for industrial education in this city. To secure state aid, the school was formally turned over by the Holyoke School Board to an independent board known as the Board of Trustees, which was created by a city ordinance to comply with the state laws governing the es- tablishment of industrial schools. The Vocational School served two general classes of students: first, those wishing a course in preparation for the industries for which in- struction was provided, second, those regularly employed in trade work by day who desired by attendance of evening classes to become more proficient in their chosen occupation. Additionally, there were Practical Arts classes for women, conducted as part of the evening work. The aim of these classes was to increase efficiency in home-making and home-manage- ment. In July, 1914, the Day Vocational School and a portion of the Evening School were housed in quarters in the High School gym- nasium building on the south side of Sargeant Street between Pine and Beech Streets. The floor area was about 14,750 square feet exs clusive of corridor space and was sufficient to accommodate properly about one hundred and twenty pupils. The enrollment was ninety-nine for the day school and six hundred and twelve 30 for the evening school. The day school offered a complete four years, course providing an option whereby at the beginning of the third year, instruction, if continued, would be on a part time basis. Each department was regarded as a school in itself as far as instruction was concerned. The work of each school department consisted of: shop practice on the machinery and man- ipulation of the materials of that trade, thorough training in the related technical work in mathematics, drawing, English, shop ac- counts, academic and non-related cultural studies such as civics, history, literature, eco- nomics, personal hygiene, physical training, and athletics. The faculty were selected in every case with a view to their experience at their several trades, their character, and their proven ability as teachers. Satisfactory teaching experience had been demanded, as from the experienced trade teachers. Evening trade extension courses were es- pecially important to the industrial life of the city because they contributed more immediately and directly to industry than any other courses offered. The following classes were established on the short-unit basis: carpentry, pattern mak- ing, estimating for bricklayers, machine shop practice, printing, paperrnaking, electricity, steam engineering, drawing for carpenters, blue print reading for machinists, decorative plastering, weave formation, loomfixing, and fine cabinet making. The school was divided into three divisions.

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The aim of the first division, the Day School for Boys, was to train boys to enter upon em- ployment in recognized trades. The Practical Arts classes, the second division, were for women seventeen years of age or over. Its pur- pose was to develop a knowledge of the art and science of home-making. The Trade Ex- tension courses of the third division were for men employed in the trades. In 1917, Dr. William Peck was elected Su- perintendent of the Holyoke Public School Sys- tem. During his years as superintendent, many changes were effected. From time to time clubs were started, usually as a result of class interest. In nearly every class these groups were organized as Junior Achievement Clubs under the .lunior Achievement Foundation of the Eastern States Industrial and Agricultural League. In Septem- ber, 1922, the Cotton Club, Basketry Club, Poultry Club, and Paper Club gave demon- strations at the Eastern States Exposition. In 1922 there was a marked increase in the enrollment which demanded consideration in providing space and equipment for future expansion. The crowded conditions were re- lieved by the return of two grades to the South Chestnut Street School. A significant change took place in the Com- mercial Department in 1928. The subject of typewriting up to that time had been limited to third and fourth year girls who studied stenography. Pupils who desired to secure a knowledge of its operation as a general asset were excluded from the course. Graduates, moreover, complained of the need of addi- tional machine practice before entering offices. In addition, junior high school graduates de- siring to study stenography often left to en- ter private commercial schools because they had to wait too long for what they wanted in the High Schoolf' Typewriting was extended to three years for stenographic students and could be elected in any year without stenog- raphy by all other pupils. In order to meet the demand which this change occasioned, it was necessary to equip and open another type- writing room in the high school. In the same year, a definite Household Art course leading to a diploma was organized at the high school. It became possible for high school girls to make Household Arts their major field of interest. Previously, cooking and sewing were merely elective subjects for girls enrolled in other courses. The course, more- over, had heen placed on a state-aided, state- supervised basis in the same manner as the Vocational or Constitutional School, with the state reimbursing the city for one-half the cost of instruction and maintenance. It marked the first introduction of the state-aided program in our high school. The new department was officially called the Holyoke Day Household Art School. In 1931, since the enrollment was some- what larger than anticipated and there was a question of electives in the college preparatory course, the School Board provided for the ac- commodation of the students by adopting a two platoon plan effective on the opening day 3l