Weymouth High School - Campus / Reflector Yearbook (Weymouth, MA)

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Weymouth High School — School of the Future A person ' s outward appearance, they say, is an index of his character. Similarly, the surroundings of Weymouth High in 1950 are apt to prejudice a particular alumnus, who has just returned from ten years on the South Polar ice floes, almost at once. Middle Street is a si dit for any eyes, but especially for ones long-blinded by a continuous Aurora Bore- alis. Paved with brick from Central Square, lined with proud and rugged architecture, com- munity center and community of civic pride —fitting surroundings for the finest of high schools. Opposite the school is a splendid library. Y.M.C.A. and Y.W.C.A. are close beside, with a community church, yes, and a court house. Further along is a Repertory Theater under city management. Just be- yond the Town Hall, erected back in ' 29, are Iwo roads at right angles. At the junction Main Street parts into two parallel roadbeds separated by a grass plot which is planted with trees. One of the bisecting roads at this junction leads to Weymouth Landing. From it the beauty of the rear of the school is easily apparent. An athletic field lies to the right of High School Drive, but this is used only for afternoon practice. Regu- lar contests are held on the Fair Grounds on Middle Street. Returning to the front entrance the alum- nus advances up the central walk, beneath the War Memorial Arch, across the open air assembly hall. Midway between the last set- tec and the front entrance he reads a tablet laid in cement, the motto, no doubt, of the school. It reads: A sound mind in a sound body. Education is moral first ; intellectual, sec- ondarily, said Ruskin. And what are morals? Morals are the general truths of the natural universe which guide man ' s conduct with one another and in relation to the forces about him. What is intellect? Intellect is its gen- eral acceptance is the power of mental recol- lection and association. Schools were created to better society. Yet twenty-five years ago they basically opposed the axiom of the straight line by placing mental development before character develop- ment. Character education was always ad- mitted as fundamental, but was left to be somehow acquired elsewhere. The truth had been hard to face. Yes, conditions were certainly hard to put in that long decade from 1935 to 1945. It had meant courage and leadership, conservation dis- carded, but not for radicalism. It had meant a general effort of society not to inundate the mind with facts from without, but to arouse the best from within. It had meant a genuine effort to combine all the edu ca- tional facilities of society — home, church, theater, and press — within the walls of the school. It had meant contact with all that was good and fine, preeminent to what was worth while and valuable. This the visitor learns from an enthusiastic teacher who introduces herself as a classmate of ' 29. At first he bemoans the uncharitable fates which have brought him thither; but as he listens to the surprising change in the methods of instruction his curiosity is quickly aroused. First, a word about the entire school pro- gram. What is commonly known as the 8-4 system, in which there are eight years of grammar school and four of high school, has been replaced by the 6-3-3 system, in which there are six years of grammar school, three years of junior high school, and three of senior high school. The first six years of the present system are much the same as the grammar school of twenty-five years past. The junior high school period is one of mental discipline and further ground-work similar to our former high school. But during the last period of his twelve years of local education, the stu- dent is dependent upon himself, only under older and wiser guidance, to educate himself Page Eight

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an appropriation of $50,000 for the much needed building. Work began directly and the building was completed and ready for occupancy by the beginning of the next school term. Loring and Phipps of Boston were the architects and P. H. Jackson of Brockton did the general contracting, with a bid of $35,636.75. The heating was installed by L. E. Smith of Gloucester with a bid of $3,775. Mr. Edmund J. Bugbee was the first prin- cipal, holding the office from 1898 to 1904. He was succeeded by Edwin P. Sampson from 1904 to 1910. In 1911, Mr. Frederick W Hilton took over the office, which he has held to the present date. With the growth of the town and the in- creasing number of school children, additional quarters were needed. Hence the freshman wing was added and formally presented for inspection on June 24, 1924. John E. Griffin was the contractor, with a bid of $300,000. We, the Class of ' 29, were the second class to use the new rooms. All the preceding, we venture to say, is news to the majority. The following, however, is history. Shortly after the completion of the fresh- man wing, places were begun for the Voca- tional School. The work on the shop was done entirely by trade school boys, and the cast of the building was $35,000. In 1928 r ' owded conditions in the local grammar schools demanded still another change in the school arrangement. The town therefore de- cided to build a new addition to the high school. The new wing, called the Weymouth Junior High Annex, contains four classes each of the seventh and eighth grades. The gen- eral contracting was done by James S. Miles and Son Company, with a bid of $300,000. Work is now progressing on the New Legion Memorial in front of the High School, which will do much to add to the beauty and dig- nity of our school grounds. It has been rumored that the Class of ' 29 will have the initial honor of being the first to graduate from the open air amphitheatre, if, as is hoped, the work of construction is finished in time. But one thing we know, from re- liable authorities: the diplomas for the grad- uating class will be headed by a picture of the complete High School building, something entirely new on Weymouth High School di- plomas. And now, with the High School building complete, a look into the future follows. We who are about to graduate salute you, our underclassmen, and hand on to you the privi- lege of working and striving for the glory of the High School of the Future. Jane Stub ' 29 SEWING CLASS Page Seven

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and prepare for life ' s work. The time saving of this three-fold arrangement is due to a gradation of pupils for each grade according to intelligence and general ability. This quickens mental progress and efficiency any- where from one to three years. Faculty supervision in the senior high school is of a singular nature. The teacher is more an adviser and confidant than brain-tester and statistician. Lessons written for correc- tion are rare, but homework is distributed monthly in advance, and the wise student soon learns to complete it. Successive failures in the monthly examinations are dropped to lower classes, while passmarks are raised with the standard of the division. Outside read- ing assignments are frequent. Daily lectures and demonstrations, with weekly class dis- cussions, are used instead of formal reviews of homework. Students are either mathemat- ical, cultural, or business. English and history courses, for example, of students majoring in mathematics, are different from the courses of those taking cultural courses. Science courses, again, for business and cultural stu- dents, are more elementary than those taken by mathematical students. Instruction in the trades and shopwork is much the same as back in 1929. Free periods are common for orchestra, band, staff, dramatics, public speaking, and other activities. A high average, however, is required for participation. Free periods are also used for informal discussions of as- signments with members of the faculty, and for library reading. The school day is an hour longer, but the lessened tension under the new system makes this day interesting instead of tedious. Stu- dents are urged to develop qualities of in- itiative and self-reliance as a fundamental part of their education. The advance assign- ments, already mentioned, are an example of this. The work is not limited to one text book, but instead several sources are recom- mended in the monthly schedule and by the teacher. From these the student is free to choose for himself, and pry as deep as he likes. There are, of course, minor subjects in which most of the work is done during school hours. Outside of these, however, the student is to a limited degree specializing. » » The truth that education ought to be uni- versal has been accepted. But now humanity faces the problem of the ways and means to attain its universality. These are vital to the success of the entire educational, and what is more the entire social, structure. Educa- tion, also, as an investment of society, since it is universal, must extend to all forms of society, and reach a degree of perfection which fulfils all the needs of society. That certainly is a lofty goal. Yet such a one has been set by educators of the world. To it and to them we owe our pride for W. H. S. — Past and Present. To these, also, shall thanks be due for the realization of our School of the Future. James McAleer ' 29 DOMESTIC SCIENCE CLASS Page Nine