Newton High School - Newtonian Yearbook (Newton, MA)

Page 27 text:

A new interest in science at the turn of the century at- tracted many Newton boys to M.l.T., and the curriculum was broadened to prepare them for engineering. By 1901, pressure was being placed on the Board to build a new structure to house the commercial and technical students, Completed in 1909, the Technical High School absorbed commercial courses from the classical school and admitted some of its students. Under the leadership of the first headmaster, Charles Kehrner, the Technical High School increased its enrollment, and a vocational school was installed within the same building. In 1926, Building III was completed, and in the new gymnasium, boys' basketball was first introduced to the school. During the next year, several activities were added. The first chapter of the National Honor Society in Massachusetts was established in Newton High School. The new athletic Held, composed of a quarter-mile track, a varsity gridiron, a baseball diamond, hockey fields, and tennis courts, was dedi- cated to Alfred Dickinson, who had died in that year. r L , V i ' ii r 1 l , i l 0 , i l 1 i 1...

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At this time, a regular military drill was held for the boys by an officer who lived in Newtonville. These drills were conducted in an old building in the square or in the lower corridor of the school building. The student parliament met periodically and was elected by a schoolwide election. There was, of course, no woman suffrage, and only the boys were allowed to speak at meetings. In 1881, the School Board purchased additional land on which they built an extension of the original building. How- ever, the improvement was so slight that a drill shed was built behind what is now Building I, and this shed is still used today for band practice, gym classes, and elections. In 1896, the present Building I was erected, providing lunchrooms, a large assembly hall, science laboratories, a gym- nasium, and classrooms. This new building is said to have brought to a end the practice of walking to Newtonville Square for lunch. 22

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15 is, Tf Recent history shows several changes in Newton High School. In 1946, the junior college was founded. Three years later, there was great speculation as to the space problem and how bad it would become by 1960. The Newtonite suggested such improvements as elevators, food pills to eliminate lunches, discontinuation of marks, and rubberized walls. Within the last few years, honor studies, Tigerama, and the Rally Com- mittee have been introduced to the school. In 1956, a new teaching method was introduced. This system, the Newton Plan, greeted the Class of '59, the Centen- nial Class. In 1957, Harold Howe II joined the Century Class in their exploration of Newton High School.