Clifton High School - Rotunda Yearbook (Clifton, NJ)

Page 30 text:

THE REFLECTOR '1'9l 't 'IGN llilciitoria ls IN APPRECIATION FTER twenty years of service, Mrs. Viola Grammer, one of Clifton High Schoolls foremost figures, resigned from the school faculty last term. Ill health forced Mrs. Grammer to retire to her home in High Bridge, where, to use her own words, she is Htaking things easyf, as she well deserves to do. Mrs. Grammerls girlhood was spent in the little town of Delta, tucked away in the heart of Pennsylvania, where she was born. After completing her elementary and secondary school training she enrolled in the Cumberland Valley State Normal School at Shippensburg. After her graduation she matriculated at the School of Fine and Applied Arts and at Teachers College, New York. Having taught for several years in a district grade school, Mrs. Grammer came to Clifton High School in l9l3.' During her stay here she taught a variety of in- teresting subjects, including English, history, domestic science, mechanical drawing, and drawing. As one of the organizers of The Reflector, she was tireless in her efforts to bring it up to its present standard. It is the feeling of the Staff that in her going the school has lost a friend. Our good wishes for restored health go with her. REACTIONS TO REFORM Much credit is due those students who have been so active in their research project on student participation in school government. There is no doubt that Twenty-nine

Page 29 text:

THE REFLECTOR eral' 'IW rv The lleachers Qouncil NE of the most important events of the past term has been the formation of a Teachers Council, an auxiliary and advisory body to the Principal. The Council meets on Thursday afternoons in Room 209 to discuss and deliberate on matters pertaining to the general good of the school. Its conclusions are incor- porated in reports which are submitted to the Principal for approval. A clause in the constitution of the Council which should be of great interest to pupils provides that uThe Council shall . . . receive and deliberate upon requests and petitions submitted to it by duly 'authorized groups of studentsf, It is hoped that by this provision such irresponsible acts on the part of pupils as ill-considered petitions for holidays, or shorter school day will receive the careful attention of the General Organization before they are submitted to the Council. In the future no petition or requests will be honored by the Council unless they first pass the General Organization. Members are elected to the Council by the vote of all the teachers in open meeting. The term of office is three years with one-third of the membership retiring each year. The present membership of the Council includes Mr. Tunis Baker, Mr. Charles A. Berthold, Mr. George Coulthard, Mrs. Florence Hackett, Miss Morrell, Mr. Deane Nichols, Mr. Morril F. Shepard, Miss Clarice Smith, Miss Ruth Smith, Miss Agatha Spinella, Miss Elsie Tuttle, and Miss Edna H. Vorrath. The oliicers are: Miss Vorrath, president, Mr. Shepard, vice president, and Miss Clarice Smith, secretary. Twenty-eight

Page 31 text:

THE REFLECTOR wolf' 75 greater interest has been aroused in this subject than ever before, and it is gratify- ing to note that serious steps have been taken to improve the student agencies. Since the fundamental fact has been established by the Committee on Law En- forcement that the success of any student scheme depends on school spirit, we are moved to speculate, is not to prophesy, on the outcome of this venture. We think that it will succeed, because it has the right kind of people behind it-those who have school spirit. We base our conclusion on reactions elicited from well defined groups of stu- dents. Those who are always in trouble sneer at itg those who have not adjusted themselves to school life find nothing of interest in it. We estimate that these two groups comprise about one-twentieth of the student enrollment. Freshmen and Sophomores seem non-committal about the whole project. We suspect that the leaven has not yet reached them. They comprise something more than one-quarter of the enrollment. Many of the underclassmen, as well as some of the Juniors, seem timid about the matter, others take it as a joke. This group' also includes about one- quarter of the enrollment. Seniors and Juniors generally and those who belong to clubs or other school organizations react most favorably. This latter group com- prises something less than one-half of the enrollment, probably forty percent. It seems to us that in civil life proper, the percentage of those interested in partici- pating in government is about the same. These reactions of students may be supplemented with the views and opinions of the teachers. Two-thirds of the faculty think the students are ready for greater participation, one-third feels that they are not. The majority of the teachers ap- prove a student president and other school officers, as well as student courts. Those who are apprehensive fear that things may get Hout of handf' We think there is little danger of such an eventuality. Co-operation, not antagonism, seems to be the dominant spirit in our school. The willing acceptance of guidance in these matters seems a good guarantee of order. We believe that the only danger that may beset this project is that we may be tempted to Heat the whole hogv at once. It is desirable that the system grow up and stay with us, rather than that we grope toward it and then possibly lose sight of it. STUDENT FINANCES Since the coming of the cafeteria, a very profitable source of revenue for class organizations, and The Reflector, has been cut off entirely. It used to be that special sales of food or candy were arranged, some, even those of one dayis duration, result- ing in a profit of fifty dollars. , When the student organizations were permitted to hold sales they could and did contribute advertisements to the school magazine. and were enabled to undertake out- side projects. We realize that the cafeteria was installed for our benefit and convenience, and appreciate that fact. It would be a great advantage, however, if some arrangement could be made whereby organizations might still hold some sales during the year. Such a concession would be an evidence of good will, and would promote a' better feeling of co-operation between the students and the cafeteria. Thirty