Durham High School - Messenger Yearbook (Durham, NC)

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n TH is WA-iii MESSEEGER I Page E iyhtj

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HQVA i MESSENGER ii e n FRANK M. MART.lN, SUPT. Mr. F. M. Martin, Superintendent of the city schools, is a native of Virginia. He is a graduate of Washington and Lee University und has had subsequent work at the University of Texas, University of Tenn- essee, and the University of Chicago. He served for fifteen years in Texas as chief assistant in the State Department of Education and later became superintendent of the El Paso city schools. For four years, Mr. Martin was the head of the Farmville, Va., schools. He came to us from Petersburg, Va., where for the past nine years he was superintendent of the public schools. In the short time Mr. Martin has been here, he has fitted so naturally into the school and community life that he seems always to have been a part of it. His wide experience with and sympathy for childhood, his keen insight into men and affairs, his moral courage, and winning personality, have made him a power in school, church and civic centers. To the students of D. H. S. he has been an inspiring and sympa- thetic friend, and Il wise counselor. The Class of '24 wishes to ex- press its appreciation of his genuine interest in the immediate and future welfare of each member and to bespeak for him the success he so richly deserves. llfage Sevenl

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i924 -1 THE gg MESSENGER Aljfggg T he Durham City Sclzoolr URHAM has one of the best, and, in proportion to its size, largest, school systems in the United States. Durham not only has a wonderful record of past achieve- ments, but she is progressing each year as fast, and faster, than the rest of the country. Durham realizes that her schools are her most important civic activity. and is providing for them accordingly. Knowing that good equipment is essential to education, the city schools own eight buildings, containing 121 rooms. and worth S1,l33,805.84. 60,000 textbooks are rented to the students, and 3,500 volumes are kept in the school libraries for study. The physical welfare of the students is provided for by twenty-nine acres of playgrounds, and by physical directors who supervise them and coach school teams. This plant is growing with the city, 25204,390 Worth of bonds being issued in 1923 and 3318,000 in 1924. The Durham schools are governed by a board of six members elected by the City Council: and administered by a superintendent, a business manager, two supervisors, an attendance officer, and eight principals. The men are of the highest grade available, as the city spends 3241,000 each year in salaries for its 1-66 school teachers and officers. The buildings are well cared for, 340,600 being used for their maintenance and operation. The children of Durham are taking advantage of the opportunities afforded by this system, as the census shows that 3,749 of the 4.185 white children between six and twenty-one are in school. Some of these have graduated, and the rest are over fourteen, as the compulsory education law applies to all under that age. The school term is 183 days, from September to May, with holidays distributed throughout the year in order to relieve the monotony. There is an average daily attendance of 2,83i5, mak- ing 478,308 days attended during the year. If one child were to do this he would have to attend school 180 days a year for over 4,000 years. Last year 5,900 days were lost by absence, which would be more than 300 school years for one child. This year the attendance has been much better, averaging around 952, on account of the drive for better attendance, and the desire which has been aroused among the students them- selves to win the Attendance Banner. Regular attendance is extremely important, since although work slips are issued requiring students to make up the work missed, the benefits of the class discussion period can be gained in no other way. The Durham City School system is the most important activity of the City of Dur- ham. It spends more money, and employs more people than any other branch of the city government. It touches almost every home in Durham directly, and it is the in- stitution of most importance to the city's youth and their parents. More taxes are levied for schools than for anything else. This money has been wisely expended as is shown by the benefits the students have received from their training, and by the schools themselves. fPage Ninel