Central High School - Booster Yearbook (La Crosse, WI)

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li llll llf ll Ill fff7lliililiifiiililllfffl lilfff i1Qliiiiiiiiflllllfllf' II of the first semester saw our new Hixon Annex in working order. Every department was working almost up to its capacity. Courses in bench work, cabinet making, pattern making, turning, moulding, and forging were opened to students. The classes in each department have zen as large as could be accomodated and the results of the first year's att pt hzhfe been extremely gratifying. It has been the aim to plan projects of a substantial nature and to give instruction in detail as related to these larger projects. The success of this method of presenting the subjects is beyond question, as the efficiency of the workmanship on the finished product will amply testify. The wood working classes have made and installed numerous cabinets, desks, wardrobes, drafting benches, etc., in the various departments of the high school. In addition to this, each student has been given time in which to work out something for himself. Almost every individual has taken ad- vantage of this opportunity, and many beautiful and useful articles have been placed in the homes of students as a result. In most cases extra time after school and on Saturdays has been required, but this has been given willingly. In the foundry many repairs were made for the boilers in the city schools. In addition, shelf brackets were made for use about the buildingg the standards for something like fifty drafting benches for the high school and industrial schools were moulded, and other repairs made. ' In the forge room the big problem has been that of building a fire escape for one of the ward school buildings. In this connection the machine shop has been used to advantage. Next semester we expect to have classes doing regular work in the latter department. The new building with its equipment has opened up a new field for high school Work and the future possibilities of this department are great. The new gymnasium has been a delight to the boys. The pool has been especially popular. Every boy in the school is expected to take the regular class work unless excused because of participation in some form of high school or class athletics, with the result that, with a few exceptions where class schedules prevented, all boys have had some form of physical training so essential that the body may keep pace with the mind. And while all these new courses have been added for the boys, the girls have not been neglected. The courses in Sewing and Cooking have always been popular, but this year the need of instruction in Millinery was evident, so classes were organized with the beginning of school last fall. More than thirty girls reported at first, but owing to the lack of equipment to handle this number, the class was cut to twenty-five, the Seniors and Juniors being given preference. The work accomplished has fulfilled the prediction of the most optimistic supporter of the plan, and the course has become a permanent fixture. ' While all this has been going on, other departments have not suiered. There has been a remarkable interest in History and the department has grown rapidly. It was announced at the beginning of the semester that Medieval Page Number Eighteen

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W ' N Egg A Rernosrecr E23 E. ' J THE EDUCATIONAL YEAR BY PRINCIPAL B. E. MCCORM1CKl . r The school year 1913-14 has been a remarkably satisfactory one for the La Crosse High School. Perhaps the most gratifying feature has been the large increase in enrollment over that of the previous year. This amounted to an even hundred, making a total for this semester of eight-hundred-seventy-five students, almost twice as many as were enrolled during the corresponding semester of four years ago. Then, too, the shrinkage has been very small, no more students having withdrawn for sickness, work, on account of leaving the city, and other reasons, than at any time during the past decade. All of this, of course, signifies greater and broader interest and increasing confidence in high school and the work that is being done here. Perhaps no less gratifying than this is the greater number of graduates this year, the class numbering one-hundred-twenty-five, as compared to one- hundred-four a year ago, eighty-four two years ago, and forty-four five years ago. To the analytical mind this has great significance. It shows a wonderful awakening to the advantage of a high school diploma, it means that the com- munity no longer looks upon graduation as an empty honor, of benefit only to those who attend collegesg it means the merchant, the business man, and the tradesman have come to realize that it signifies a certain intellectual attainment on the part of graduates, which gives them the advantage in fac- tory, in shop, in stores, and in office over their less fortunate competitors, and finally it seems that the high school is taking its proper place in the com- munity as a great factor, a great shop to prepare boys and girls for life and good citizenship. ' It seems to me that high schools in general, and especially our own, have made rapid strides during the past few years toward the greater development in students of those things that make for good citizenship and character. I refer to the new method of government and to the new courses designated especially to be of use to those boys and girls who step from high school into the world, confronted by the necessity of making a living. For some few years our high school has enjoyed the freedom of co-operation or self government. From the very beginning it has been a success, and yet the past year has brought about the greatest perfection so far accomplished. That is, a larger per cent of students than ever before have exercised that self control and exhibited that strength of personality so necessary for the success of this method of discipline. It has been especially gratifying to note the increasing readiness on the part of students to accept responsibility and to witness the better judgment exercised by students no older, in fact younger, than those having a corresponding classification some few years ago. Among the new courses that have been especially popular are those in Manual Training, Millinery, and Physical Education for boys. The opening Page Nu mber Seven teen

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V 1 -----------'------- mum .1-----------l ,IW ..-----------.. ul, ,---- '---------------Y-,--- Q ----------'-'----------'--- ------' I -.ul u m r 1 I. Illll,. ....... .... ...,F!efa..lull .,., ll llllll . -iia::::::,lt I. .I History would be given in addition to Greek, Roman, English, and American. So many students reported that it was necessary to organize two sections. All classes are larger a there are more than twice as many of these as there were four years ago. The Commercial de artment has enjoyed its share of growth. The sec- tions have multiplied, new methods have been instituted, a new course in Advanced Bookkeeping has been installed, and a new teacher has been added to take care of the increase in enrollment. The Science department has been called upon to increase its facilities in order to handle a larger number of students, new teachers have been added to the departments of Mathematics to handle a greater number of classesg while the English, German, Latin, and French departments have likewise grown. A total of forty-one teachers are now required to administer to the needs of the school compared to twenty-six four years ago, an increase of ifteen or something over thirty-six per cent. And with the great increase in the number of students and teachers has come an air of dignity and self dependence, and most pleasing of all, a spirit of co-operation and loyalty on the part of both, truly gratifying. ISU LQJ L91 um THE ATHLETIC YEAR lBY COACH OWEN E. HORNEI With the opening of school in September, a larger number of candidates reported 'for football than ever before in the history of the high school-about fifty men altogether. However, the great majority of this number were in- experienced, only four men who remained had played the year before. For this reason much difliculty was experienced in picking men to represent the school. The season opened with Tomah High at La Crosse on September 27. The ga.me was very unsatisfactory from the standpoint of both teams, but served to show the weak places. La Crosse finished with the long end of the score in their favor-13 to 7. On October 11, Winona was defeated at La Crosse by a score of 2 to 0. The La Crosse team played a strong defensive game but were unable to ad- vance the ball in Winona's territory. The first unfortunate accident of the season happened in this game when Bruha, left end for La Crosse, fractured his collar bone. Two weeks later La Crosse held Eau Claire to a scoreless tie in a hard fought battle. In this game, as with the others, La Crosse did not seem to have the ability to advance the ball, and fumbling was very frequent. The hrst game away from home was at Grand Rapids. Here La Crosse received the Hrst defeat of the season by a score of 9 to 0. Altho the team was defeated in this game, the playing of some of the green material was very Page Number Nineteen