Canastota High School - Toot Yearbook (Canastota, NY)

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16 THE TOOT outside, where they stood at attention while the flag was raised on a new pole, donated to the school by the classes of ’20 and ’21. The committee on arrangements for the pole was: Lois Te Winkel and Ruth Bettinger ’21, Mary Moore and Helen Te Winkel ’22. Mr. Cherrywell Some time ago Canastota was honored by a visit of a Japanese artist, Mr. Cherrywell, who is studying art in this country at Ohio State University. He held the attention of the high school students for a short time by an address, begun in Japanese, which, strange to say, no one could understand. After a short talk about his native land in English, Mr. Cherrywell showed us many beautiful pictures which he had painted. School Orchestra The school orchestra was organized about the first of October under the direction of Miss Goettel. It was formed for the purpose of playing at rhetoricals and school events. The members meet every Wednesday night for practice. It is composed of nine pieces: three saxaphones, K. Gardinier, F. Grems and E. Larchar; three violins, Louise Debruque, A. Devine and David Smith; two flutes, Leona Bell and Glenn Mowry; and a piano, Alton Skelton. Signs of the Times The “Signs of the Times” is a club on socialized recitation in con- nection with the History C class of the high school. The club meets every other Friday during the regular recitation period and the mem- bers discuss current events. The officers: president, vice-president and secretary, are elected monthly. Topics already discussed in- cluded: The Irish Question, League of Nations, and Sovietism. Manual Training A new course, which offers the boys an opportunity to earn an engineering certificate, has been started in the Manual Training De- partment. The purpose of the course is to make the young men of more value to the community and to teach them new methods in the carpentry line. The course requires three hours’ work a day; two and one-fourth hours spent in the shop and three-fourths of an hour

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THE TOOT 15 Semi-Annual Promotion The Faculty and Board of Education, after much consideration and discussion, decided last fall to adopt the semi-annual promotion method in the Canastota schools. Since there are two sections of each grade up to the eighth, it was decided that it would be to the ultimate advantage of the pupils to adopt this system, in that a pupil who failed to pass his examinations at the end of a year would have to repeat only a half year instead of a whole year; and, on the other hand, a brilliant pupil, if allowed to skip a grade, would pass over only one-half year’s work. The only disadvantages found in these plans were that a pupil, upon entering the high school in January, would lose a half year be- cause most of the full year high school subjects are started only in September, and that in keeping a pupil only a half year the teacher would not become as well acquainted with him. These difficulties, however, were overcome by a plan which permits the teacher to rotate with her own pupils from a B to an A grade, thus keeping them a full year, and which allows a pupil entering high school in January to take a course of four half-year subjects which will count towards his regents’ diploma. After a careful study of most of the schools in the state, it was found that many large high schools and several smaller ones use this system. The plan offers a better grouping of the pupils and allows them to cover the work in less time than before if they are able to do so. To be promoted, however, a pupil must pass all subjects in his class before going on to the next grade as in former years. Armistice Day Armistice Day was the scene of a patriotic rally in the Canastota schools, when all the North Side pupils gathered in the High School study hall, where they listened to a lecture on “Americanism and Patriotism” by Mr. Forkell. After the lecture, the students marched

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THE TOOT 17 spent in drawing, for two years, and gives fifteen counts. Some of the new machines which have been installed are grinders, circular saws, and a boring attachment. Home-Making Courses A new home-making course, which corresponds to the new course in Manual Training, has been started in our Domestic Department. It requires three hours work a day for four years and gives seven and one-half counts a year. The purpose of the course is to teach the girls the art of sewing and cooking and to make them of more value in the home. Those who are taking the course are: Louise De Brucque, Amelia De Capua, Marguerite Humphrey, Lura Hurd, Made- line Johnson, Mary Pickard, Marjorie Flunkett, Ruth Robctham, Lila Wakefield, Kathryn Doyle, Marjorie Goff and Velma Weigand. Lunch Room A lunch room for teachers and pupils has been opened during the noon hour by the Domestic Science Department. Its purpose is to serve at least one hot dish to those who bring their lunches so that they will not be forced to have a cold dinner during the winter. Red Cross Co-operation The Red Cross furnishes milk twice a day to all the children who are at least ten percent below normal weight in the sixth grade or lower. There are twenty-nine such children and each one receives a glass of milk twice a day. The object is to bring each child to a normal weight, thus increasing the vitality and strength of the coming generation. The distribution is in charge of the school nurse, Miss Elizabeth Webster. Miss Webster invites the cooperation of the parents of these children and extends an invitation to call at her office in the Spencer School and discuss any matter pertaining to home and school relations. Teachers’ Conventions A New York State Teachers’ Convention was held in Rochester from November 22 to 24. Miss Kimber went as representative of the high school, Miss Botsford represented the grades, and Miss Rinehart the South Side school. Miss Helen Carroll attended a convention of the Utica section of the Modern Language Association, held at Utica Free Academy on November 6. She gave a talk on a “Criticism of Armand’s Gram- maire Elementaire,” and also assisted a class in French conducted by Dr. Fletcher Clark of Columbia.