Farm Life High School - Parrot Yearbook (China Grove, NC)

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Parrot - - fagp 15 Kl s Hargette, Miss Strupe, Miss Flemming, Miss Early and Mrs. Jones. The graduates were Gladys McCorkle, Elsie Fisher, Blanche Current, Meta Sech- ler and Ruth Karriker. Ifj In the fall of 1921, the China Grove High School was moved to the Farm eg Life buildings. The faculty was increased to twelve in number. Mr. Jones p had taught agriculture in addition to his other duties, the two years previous but this year Mr. S. L. Carpenter was employed for agriculture alone. Mr. M Presson came as tea:her of history and director of athletics and has remained the five years since. Miss OUie Mae Shelburne teacher of English this year s and Mr. Carpenter were married the following summer. This same year Miss Blackstock, Miss Gahagan, teacher of Latin and French, and Miss Ruth Blackwelder, math teacher, came to the school and remained three years. S Miss Ella M. Early came also as lady principal of the girls and held thi s po- sition until the following year when she became dietitian and lady principal. The graduating class this year numbered twenty-one and the student o body two hundred and twelve. The Freshman class numbered eighty-nine and the Sophomore class sixty-eight. The Enochsville High School pupils also came here and at that time Landis did not have her new building. Landis has M since relieved us several students, which keeps from having classes out-of- doors the year round. This year Glee Clubs were organized by Miss Black- stock. She came as an extra teacher after the opening of school to take care of the overflow and in addition to her regular work, trained these clubs in some very fine work which for three years was the outstanding glories of our school. Nothing adds more of the cultural life to the school and no phase of the school work is enjoyed so much by every member of the community. Even Athletic contest must give way before the crowds of old and young who will go miles to see a good play, operetta or listen to good music. It is not possible to give an account of each of the various events which have done honor to our school during the last seven years and no doubt some 3 will be overlooked. , We have won honor in debating, music, athletics, magazine publications, in agriculture and home economics. We leave a long list of graduates who have won high honors at college in their chosen course of study. We have helped to put Rowan County on the map in several fields of endeavor and of k] all this we are justly proud. p In the year 1922-23, we entered the state music contest and brought home two silver loving cups. The graduating class in 1923 numbered twenty-three and the student body two hundred and ten. 1 In 1924 we had the largest graduating class in the history of the school — p forty-four it numbered with a student body of over two hundred. This year we again entered the state music contest, bringing home three silver loving cups and tieing with Roanoke Rapids for first place in total number of points. This year, also, for the first time we had a teacher training class under the S direction of Miss Grace Gladstone, who still holds that position. This department has graduated to date thirty-six young women who have added much to the efficiency of the school where they work. These graduates p have all been chosen to work in the better type of school. s The crop judging team in agriculture which went to the state fair in 1924 brought home the trophy cup and twenty dollars in cash. Being located in a IS predominantly agricultural county the school has aided in working some fine p le.ords in farm projects of diff erent sorts and has always cooperated vigor- g ously with any agriculture program put on in the community. We feel that no school can boast of a more well rounded program of activi- ties than ours. In 1923 we won second honor for high school magazine in p group B of the national contest held by the University of Wisconsin. This s magainze, The Parrot , was published first by the class of ' 23 under the di- rection of Miss Maude Minish, head of the English Department. The editors

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Qltff Parrot History of P L S. Seven Years at The Rowan Farm Life School (By Mrs. Sallie Hunter Jones) This is a rather rambling history of the Farm Life School for the past seven years. It is written with a view to recording some of the history which will assist in keeping a correct reaord of the school, and because there are many who have gone in and out of the school for the last time who will enjoy looking back to the time spent here. Some of the events and facts mentioned can be found by referring to catalogs of the school, the Parrot, the minutes of the board meeting and so on while some can be supplied only by those who were here during those years. The year 1919 was one of great importance to the school. In the spring of the year there was only one building on the Farm Life campus. The boara of trustees was reorganized. The 20 acre farm was increased to fifty acres to meet the state requirements. The contract was let for a boys ' dormitory which was to take care of the increasing number of boarding students and supply new class rooms. For the first time all the class room work was car- ried on at the Farm Life Plant. Mr. 0. B. Jones became principal of the school and teacher of agriculture in June of the year. Miss Edith Gilbert, teachei of the China Grove High School the previous year, became lady principal and teacher of math and history. Miss Margaret Flemming taught English and science. Miss Helen Mays, the Home Economics teacher and Dietitian, re- signed and Miss Ennis Strupe succeeded her and remained with the school for two and a half years. Before the opening of school in September Mr. Jones married a wife to assist him in bearing the viscissitudes of a school man ' s career. Together we endeavored to build a school that would be of the highest type for the training of boys and girls, and fulfill its mission for the surrounding com- munity and for all Rowan County. Just here I must mention the kind and cordial reception given us by the friends of the school in China Grove, espe- cially Mr. and Mrs. A. M. Hannah, Mr. and Mrs. P. A. Earnhardt and Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Swink. These good people have always encouraged every effort for a school that would make real men and women besides cheering our hearts with their personal loyalty and friendship. During the year 1919- ' 20, no Latin or other foreign language was taught in the Farm Life School. The enrollment that year was sixty pupils, thirty-five of whom lived in the dormitories. We had a graduating class of seven, Robert Flemming, Blanche and Dunham Graham, Edith Menius, Mary Lippard, James Patterson and Burley Lyerly. The middle of the year 1919-20 saw the boys ' building finish- ed and occupied by a goodly number of boys. The classes which had been reciting in the dining room were moved to the newly furnished rooms of the basement. Two of these rooms were thrown together for chapel and for most of the commencement exercises for five years. As we look back we can hardly realize how we worked in such close quarters, but the girls and boys in those classes have already made records of which anyone might be proud. The fall of 1920 found the faculty increased from four to seven members and an enrollment of eighty-seven. Sixty-one of these lived in the dormi- tory all or part of the year. The teachers were Mr. Jones, Mr. Wolfe, Miss

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©iff Parrot - - 5 page 16 S Is of the Parrot have been: Marvin Eddleman, Lucille Gillon, Ella Bost and Frank Blackwelder. The business managers have been: Walter Hinson, Otis g I Pleasants, Yorke Roberts and Hollie Ritchie. Just here we might say that i I for a second time the English and Agriculture Departments were consolidated | S by the marriage of Miss Minish and Mr. Sutton. To Miss Minish must be §2 given credit for launching the Parrot safely and to Mr. Sutton for leading the i I winning crop judging team to Raleigh the same year. To Mr. Presson for p g developing such a fine athletic department in the school and w- ' ining a number 3 of county championships including two silver loving cups in 1925 and the basketball championship in 1926. M The first Junior-Senior Banquet was hel d on St. Patrick ' s day in 1922 under g g the direction of Miss Gahagan, Junior Class advisor. This event has become 1 an important occasion of each year and means much in the social life of the I students. Each student has the pleasure of attending two banquets during his high school career, and much of the preparation for these banquets has been S, done by the girls of the Home Economics Department. The two girls ' literary societies were organized in the spring of 1922. The McNeil, named in honor of John Charles McNeil, and the Bickett, named in memory of Governor Ihomas Walter Bickett. These societies have done some splendid work. The boys have had two societies most of the time also. They engaged in a reading and declamation contest each year. To date the Bicketts have won four gold medals and the McNeil only one. I can not give the record for the boys. The graduating class of 1925 numbered thirty and the student body more than two hundred. Now for a few facts about the physical growth of the place. The farm shop was added in 1922. The first unit of the main building was opened in the fall of 1924. The tennis court at the boys ' building was built by the teachers of the school in the fall 1923. Two pianos have been added to the Music Department making three. The Boarding Department has added almost entirely new equipment from its own funds, a large range, new uten- sils and so on having been purchased recently. Mr. P. A. Earnhardt of the Patterson Manufacturing Company has been the efficient bookkeeper of all funds except the teachers salary, for the five years without remuneration. The interest that Mr. Earnhardt has taken in the school represents many hours of confining labor to say nothing of his genuine good will at all times. Mr. L. S. Presson has been the buyer for the Boarding Department for four years and his good wife has been the lady principal for the girls and dietitian for three years. To them we owe the smoothly running Boarding Department and we hope that the school may enjoy their presence for many years to come. In the spring of 1921 the shrubbery which now adorns the place was planted. Shrubbery was made possible by the County Board of Education which accepted a special offer of the Van Lindley Company to furnish the plants at half price. The library has grown along with other departments. Books from the China Grove High School added much to the number purchased by Misses Gilbert and Fleming and the class of 1920. This class donated the oak sec- tional book case to the school as their parting gift. The library has been en- larged entirely by money made from plays given by the dramatics clubs. Juniors, Seniors and teacher training classes. The work of the different departments has expanded until it has been neces- sary to make temporary quarters for the agriculture class and wood shop in