Gainesville High School - Hurricane Yearbook (Gainesville, FL)

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ILAINESYILLE HIGH SUHOOI., 1915 high school. While it is not a county high school in the true sense of the word. as we only get our pro rata share of the county school fund, yet our local school board make it a county high school by allowing children from over the Vounty to enter this school tuition free, and in fact no tuition is charged against any pupil, no matter from what county or state that pupil may come. This gives the children from all parts of Alachua County a chance to take advantage of a senior high school. Many are availing themselves of this opportunity already and some of our best students are those who come to us from points outside of Gainesville. It is the unbound- ed loyalty of our local Board of Trustees to the cause of educating the chil- dren of the greatest county in our state that these possibilities are ex- tended to these children, since the cost of maintaining a senior high school is too great to allow other districts of the county to support such a school. However. since Gainesville is able to maintain such an institu- tion of education, she extends an invitation to students of the county to take this advantage. High schools, in general, throughout the United States, are becoming more and more each year vocational institutions which Ht the graduate for a more active life without a college education. The Gainesville High School is no exception to the general rule, but is making wonderful strides in this kind of work. There is to he added, in the near future, to our regu- lar course an efficient manual training department for boys, and a domestic science department for girls. This will be an added advantage to the stu- dents of Alachua County who wish such work and are not financially able te attend college. Such work as this also adds interest to the school life of the student, for all students like practical work along with theoretical. Such departments add these practicalitiesg hence the result will be better Work and a greater mnnber of students. If the etlorts of leading educators throughout the state hear fruit in the coming session of the legislature we shall have added to our present facilities a normal department which will prepare students of the eleventh and twelfth grades for the work of teaching, thus increasing still further the value and influence of our High School. One of the greatest facilities added to our school during the past year is the installation of one of the most complete laboratories, physical and chemical, in the State. We are indebted to Professor J. J. Grimm for these additions, as it was by his influence that our Board of Trustees were per- suaded to add these facilities. The interest which these laboratories add to the regular text book work in physics and chemistry is unbounded. VVithout the laboratory the text book is merely theory to the student. He has only some other student's word that NeWton's Laws of Falling Bodies 10

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GAINESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL, 1915 it has been a bit dry, how much more does the study which we have the next year appeal to us. Yes, chemistry is ha1'd, but when you have made from two poisonous elements a necessity of life used on the table every day, how much more you feel like school is really worth more after all than mere memorizing of dry facts. There are three more departnients which I might mention in passing, for while not connected with the school, still as they are patronized by many of the pupils they do affect the school. To each of these tuition is charged and no credit is given in the final sixteen units. Briefly these are the departments of music. expression, and art, the first two being taught on the school grounds and the third in a private home. In short, the Gainesville High School tries to give to its graduates that liberal education which, in the words of Horace Mann, alone can con- duct them to that enjoyment which is, at once, lxest in quality and infinite in quantity. EFFIE HOLFS. THE GAINESVILLE SENIOR IIIGH SCHOOL The Gainesville High School, as now controlled, is one of the best in the State of Florida. Not only does it rank among the highest in this State, but has recently been recognized as one of the leading institutions of its kind in the Southern States, having been this year admitted to the Southern Association of Accredited High Schools. The question might be asked, How did the Gainesville High School come to be one of the best in the South '? We only have to point to our local School Board of Trus- tees for the answer. We do not exclude the County School Board from their share of the glory, for they have done much to give to us our present stand- ing. Also our very efficient County Superintendent of Public Schools has worked untiringly for the good of Gainesville High School, as has he for schools throughout Alachua County. Last, but not at all the least, we would point to the citizens of Gainesville as a great factor in helping to raise the standards of our school. They have worked with a zeal incompar- able toward giving their children a more efficient school. Especially do We mention the Ladies' School Improvement Association. It has ever been their aim to advance the facilities of the school by adding to our library, by beautifying our campus, and by countless other things they are doing every day. The Gainesville High School has always been considered as a county ' 9

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GAINESYILLE HIGH SFHOOL. 1915 are true. But with the laboratory it ceases to be theory and becomes an actual law to the student when he has performed the experiments for him- self. . . We, the Senior Class of this school, hope that we have played our part in making the Gainesville High School what it is to-day. We are truly thankful that we have had the privilege of attending this High School. It is our desire to see it continue its progress. We sincerely hope that it may become a model for other high schools. The possibilities are here for it to become such. They only need development. That the Gainesville High School will continue to keep a steady stride toward the front rank of institutions of its kind in the United States is the sincere wish of J. ROBT. FOAHD. THE GROWTH OF THE GAINESVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOL IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS The Gainesville Public School has grown wonderfully in the last five years. Many people know that it has grown, but few know the extent of its growth. Although many promising plans have neither flowered nor fruited, yet many needed changes have been accomplished and hopes have been realized. First, let us picture the school ive years ago. We see only one build- ing containing twelve class rooms, which seated all the pupils except the primary department, and the old East Florida Seminary, or better known as Epworth Hall, was rented for this purpose. Soon we find that things must be changed as the number of pupils increased. So in the early sum- mer of 1912 the beautiful new building was begun and Hnished in time for the fall term. This furnished sufiicient room for all the pupils including the primary department. In this same term the first annual of the Gaines- ville High School was published. This showed many people, who never knew before, what G. H. S. was really accomplishing. In 1914 the annual was again published and for the first time an alumni was organized. And now the year of '15 marks still greater improvements. The faculty as well as the student body has increased to a great extent, there being thirty teachers and about eight hundred and twenty-five pupils. This is an increase of nearly fifty per cent. in the faculty and about forty per cent. in the student body. The school board has obtained sufficient means so as to obtain teachers better prepared to instruct the pupils, that is, col- 11