Bridgewater State University - Alpha Yearbook (Bridgewater, MA)

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TO THE STUDENTS AT BRIDGEWATER Mr. Reynolds taught in Stamford, Connecticut, after graduating from Massachusetts School of Art. In 1932 he received his appointment at Bridge- water where he became instructor in Fine Arts and Methodology of Art Education, and Supervisor of Art for the Training School. Having done graduate work at Columbia and Harvard in addition to this experience, he merits his new position and has our best wishes for every possible success. To us the students at Bridgewater, Mr. Reynolds leaves this message: Reminiscence has been made doubly justifiable at Bridgewater State Teachers College by the coming of 1940. It is very significant to me as I look back over the history of Bridgewater that the philosophy of the school has been one of looking ahead and one of creativeness. As we enter a new era we must constantly ask ourselves — Are we ready for the changes that are coming? Some individuals remind us daily that the life of our times is more complex and encompassing than life ever was before. Such statements have undoubtedly been presented to youth for many years past, but we should not lose sight of the fact that many new social and eco- nomic problems have grown out of the machine age. Democracy and all of its virtues are being attacked. The challenge to the educator is not so much what tools does he have, but how is he using them? Are we mastering the forms that have been given us so that we are at ease with them or are we being mastered? Art today in America is becoming of age and can be identified as truly American. The teacher is learning that by creating, and by possessing a creative mind, he can establish, and aid in establishing, a design in social structure to in- sure a fitting organization of people. This organization will be in terms of work and leisure. A true knowledge of art with all its diversified channels of expression will make possible the establishment of a sense of values. We Americans have the reputation of going farther and more rapidly than any other people. To what end?

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Members of the faculty and student body regret that one of the most popular instructors has left us this year. However, great pride is taken in the fact that Miss Beat is an alumna as well as a faculty member and that she was chosen for this position of State Supervisor of Elementary Education. Miss Beal was educated in the Quincy public schools. Following her graduation from Bridgewater in 1916, she attended New York University, where she received her bachelor ' s degree and later studied at the Teachers College at Columbia University and Harvard. She received her master ' s degree cum laude from the School of Education at Boston University. In 1927 Miss Beal came to Bridgewater where she has acted as director of training for the past 12 years. She has witnessed the changing of this in- stitution from a Normal School, where two and three year courses were given, to a Teachers College which gave at first just the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Education and in 1938 added the Master ' s Degree in Education. Inter- ested in the extension courses which were started here at this time, Miss Beal has been actively engaged in this work giving a course entitled Trends in Elementary Education. It is for all this experience that we feel that Commissioner Downey could not have chosen a better person than our Miss Beal to fill this new position and we sincerely wish her unbounded success!

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GORDON L. REYNOLDS