Atwood Hammond High School - Post Yearbook (Atwood, IL)

Page 4 text:

 150A R1) or KDrCJATlOX O. L.Storkv, Jacob Gross, Ciias. W. Wilson. B. T. McCi.ain S. M Riggs, John W. Mkrkitt, John II. Kaston

Page 6 text:

CLASS DAY ESSAYS HA LUTATORY CLY D'5 CL.I NU A N LADIES and gentlemen. It is with a Feeling of pride and pleasure that I welcome to our closing exercises, so many friends of our school and of education in general. Within the past few years education has been making rapid strides. This isshowu by the founding of new schools and the rapid growth of the old ones. Perhaps no institution has shown the marked progress within the past twenty years that has been shown by the public school. The old country school house, with its uncomfortable forms and its very limited facilities, is now almost forgotten. Graded schools are showing decided improvement. The high school for some time has been a preparatory department for the university, and is gradually becoming more than a preparatory school. It is now, in many places, turning out young men and women equipped to make their ways in the world without further schooling. The greater per cent ol students do not enter the university, so to the old curriculum have been added the business course and the manual training department. Our own school has taken part in this pro- gress, so that graduates from the Atwood High School may enter many colleges and universities without examination. What has caused this wonderful growth in school spirit? It has com’ about naturally to some extent, along with the general development that has been taking place within the past few years. But, if, in our own town there has been an onward movement, it has been, in part, due to those patrons and friends who have manifested an interest in the welfare of our school. It is true, to a great extent, that the school is what the pupils make it, but every time you have given us encouragement, or shown an interest in anything we have accomplished, you have unconciously raised higher the stand-dard we have set for ourselves. Your presence here tonight mav encourage some under graduate to continue through school that, at the end of the fourth year, he miy stand before you the hero, as he thinks, of the hour. I know not what may have brought each of you out tonight. Of course it was not the expectation of seeing the girls’ dresses. I trust from the number of intelligent faces I sec before me that you have come in the interest of the cause of education. However, that may be, your very presence here will aid that cause that every one of us should have at heart. It is men and women who are interested as much in our every day school work as in the events of commencement week that are uplifting the standard of education. Such men and wonen as these we are proud to see before us, and now it becomes mv most pleasant privilege in the name of the class of Nineteen Hundred Seven, once more, to bid you welcome.