Grand Junction High School - Tiger Yearbook (Grand Junction, CO)

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 FRIEDA HOPPE. “Fritzie Rov.” Virtue—Wanting a solitaire. Demerit—Jealousy. Favorite pastime—Oh! Johnnie! GEORGE (’OOMRS. “Sister.” Virtue—He loves Golda. Demerit Laughs at his own jokes. Favorite pastime—Blowing in (’hem. prepared fundamentally for his future active life. He should be prepared to enter some good college or university, some business or commercial activity, some industrial or mechanical trade, some agricultural pursuit, or some other line of work to which he can devote his life and energy. With this kind of an organization; with plenty of publicity given to the functions ai d aims of school work: with hearty co-operation between the home and the school, looking to this ideal as the end of the whole school program: we can hardly see how any individual can drift through the school course without sooner or later waking up to a realization that he must train and study for a purpose. School work today is very complex. There is a five-fold program: physical, mental, social, moral, and vocational. It is impossible to build a good citizen and an industrious and painstaking worker unless we have a substantial physical basis or foundation on which to erect our rational superstructure. A high standard of intelligence cannot be realized unless the nervous system of man is logically and scientifically developed. Man needs a mind, an organized mass of gray matter, which should have deep convolutions that are brought about only by training and experience. Then the products of our schools must be trained socially and morally to take a place in the life of the state and the community where they are to live and do their work. Finally, they must be given a chance to select some vocation, and an opportunity to study the principles and underlying elements of tins vocation. in the physical and mental part of the program, the school will do very well, because definite standards are established and minimum essentials are fixed. The goal is in sight, and it is not impossible for the normal student to reach it. There are well established standards of muscular strength, of accuracy and speed, of endurance, of carriage and poise, and of general health, which every individual should train to meet. In the mental development, we have well planned and scientifically developed standards for measuring the efficiency of the school. By tests in spelling, silent reading tests in speed and comprehension, arithmetic tests in the fundamental operations and reasoning, writing tests, correct English and English composition tests, geography tests, history tests, and standardized tests in other subjects, we can examine the students of any grade and find out how they compare with thousands of other pupils in the same grade all over the country. Such standards are so definitely determined that we can tell just about what progress the school should make in grade after grade as they go through the school work. The pupils of a certain age and grade are capable of so much speed and accuracy, so much knowledge, so much rational thought, so much of an understanding and use of the fundamentals and essentials of an education. The school is aide to meet the requirements of society so far as the physical and mental requirements are concerned. The big problem before the school is the development of the social and moral powers in human live§. In this work the school can do little more than lay down a few general principles to guide the individual. Society has no specific standards by which it governs and controls conduct and attitudes, and in moral law, there is no such thing as “eternal right.” In our social life, we have a double social standard when we consider the sexes, neither of which is very definite. There are so many modifications that seem to affect any definite rule that we attempt to lay down in social and moral affairs, that the school finds it next to impossible to teach or to obtain fixed customs or habits on the part of the student body. Law and our system of punishment in civic affairs is unscientific. It is perhaps four centuries behind the progress man has made along other lines. We know psychologically that an individual cannot be punished unless he is amenable to punishment. He cannot be reformed unless he is reformable; yet these principles are not taken into consideration when punishment is considered. Now the school is making progress in the social and moral part of its program, just as it has made progress in the physical and mental. It is true that it is securing a higher type of conduct out of its student body than society is able to get out of the adult members of the large social unit which does not come under the control of the school. But we are nevertheless face to face with the fact LEILA SWIRE. “Child.” Virtue—Oh! pshaw! Demerit—Piety. Favorite pastime—Playing duets.

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WARD DERRYBBRRY. “Wardie. Class President. Virtue—Leader of men—and women. Demerit- Married. Favorite pastime Leins President. MILDRED NELSON. “Mip.” Class Secretary. Virtue She's Basket-Ball captain. Demerit—Reckless. Favorite pastime Cutting classes. Some Work for Parent-Teachers’ Association of H. S. By MRS. R. L. MAG1LL, President of the Parent-Teachers’ Association. The great war has revealed many deficiencies in the U. S., but none more appalling than those along educational lines. In a country where stable government depends upon an intelligent citizenship, the education of the masses becomes a necessity, for it is the bulwark of the nation. How strong that bulwark is may be judged when we know that there are states in the Union with 25 per cent or more of the adult population illiterate. The Parent-Teachers’ Association of the G. J. H. S. does not undertake to make itself responsible for the ignorance of the whole nation, but it should concern itself with the preventable ignorance of this community, and most cases of ignorance are preventable. It cannot attempt to say when a person is educated, but it can presume to say that he is certainly not wholly educated when he can only read and write and figure a little. The H. S. education was planned to raise the intellectual normal and make our youth self-reliant, dependable, thinking men and women, capable of citizenship in a great republic. How far we are reaching that ideal in this community may be judged by the fact that 50 per cent of our pupils are lost to the H. S. in transit from the seventh to the twelfth grades. The H. S. was not intended to meet the needs of the favored few, but for all the youth of our land. Something must be vitallv wrong somewhere when only half of our boys and girls are receiving the benefits of a full H. S. education. Either our curriculum does not fit the needs of the masses, or else public opinion is seriously lacking as to the real need of such education. And. in either case, it presents a problem worthy the greatest mentality of our community to solve. Perhaps our H. S. curriculum might be revised with some profit. We certainly do need to vitalize the work in the lives of our youth. Who would presume to say that work done for the world along classical lines is any more important or valuable than that done along other useful lines? We all know that public opinion does need a powerful stimulant to arouse it to the necessity and desirability of higher education. If our Parent-Teachers’ Association could study some of the causes that are now standing in the way of many boys and girls receiving a H. S. education and remove those causes, it would be accomplishing a great work for this community. The Parent-Teachers’ Association has a greater mission than merely that parents and teachers should become better acquainted and understand each others’ tribulations. Neither teachers nor parents need the sympathy of each other, but they do need intelligent study together of these problems that must be met if our H. S. becomes the power it can become. Grand Junction cannot afford to spend the thousands of dollars it does spend on equipment and teaching force when it could be getting greater results than a 50 per cent graduating class shows. It is up to the Parent-Teachers’ Association to help make our H. 8. a greater power in our community than it now is. Just how is the problem. GENEVIEVE HOUSE. “Jennie. Virtue—Affected. Demerit—Innocent physiognomy. Favorite pastime—Vamping Arthur. Education a Complex Process By R. E. TOPE. Superintendent of City Schools. Education is a natural process. The charm of child life is in its naturalness. Life is strained and uneasy when it becomes in any sense artificial. For a long time, the schools have been great offenders in restraing children by artificial surroundings and formal practices in the school room. To put education close to life is the one phrase that expresses the basic principle of the new education. When the school first receives the child, conditions should be as nearly as possible like the best type of home. From this on. an attempt must be made to respect the stages of development of the child as he passes through school, and allow him to unfold in Nature’s way. To the last three years, or the Senior High School, is left the intensive work of public school education. At the close of the course the pupil should be

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RUTH MtKiKXEY. ‘Rufie.” Virtue—Hay fever. Demerit—Her recitations. Favorite pastime—Relating her love affairs. PORTIA RICH. •'Paddy.” Virtue—Putting it over the Faculty. Demerit—Combing her “tresses.” Favorite pastime—Playing diplomat. that our whole social and moral program is still ineffective, and we are more or less powerless in our efforts to work out a system of teaching and control that will make conduct what it should be and habits as safe and sane as human life and happiness require. This is the big educational and social problem of the future. Can it be worked out? The vocational program is being worked out also. It has been demonstrated that the school can teach occupations and trades, and give real, effective, practical vocational guidance. It can do this better than any other agency, and the public school system is willing to assume the very grave responsibility that this problem presents. But however, the classification of trades and occupations and specific- training is so varied that the sc hool equipment and machinery for meeting all the needs of the public will be impossible to get. We must meet the needs of the people according to groups, and work from the largest group clown toward the group that has few members who are vocationally interested in a certain kind of work. In this part of its program, the instruction can be no more nearly individualistic than it is in the other functions of the schools. The school is a social institution, and must work with people in the group. Individual instruction is largely a private matter. Finally the school must not be measured by too strict a rule or made to meet too accurate a standard in any of its five-fold functions. The school works with young people who are constantly passing through psychic or mental crises. These young people are characterized by strong yet shifting emotions. The adolescent period particularly is a time or unstable equilibrium, of purposes not understood. It is a psychological Tact that in certain stages, they become more or less cynically indifferent towards the best things taught and the highest standards and best ideals emphasized. A little later in life, when the individual has passed the period of economic- dependence, and is face to lace with the serious problem of self support, it is well known that those ideals and purposes which are most significant in the lives of men and women are more likely to assert themselves and be developed. We frequently see a wayward youth suddenly become transformed into a purposeful man. soon after he leaves school. This may be the result of early precept and teaching, or it may be purely a psychic change in his life, brought about by some powerful impulse or stimulus. This is the reason why evening or night schools often turn out products that are nothing less than miraculous. The sc hool must hew to the line, and never become impatient or give up. Whether the results come or not, it should make no difference in the energy or devotion to the task (lod has given those who stand at the desk and preside over the destinies of the young people in the schools of our country. The Course in Agriculture By T. E. LEI PER. Among various cjianges and additions of the scientific course of our High School perhaps none are as interesting and practical as those in Agriculture. Under the neu plan of the Smith Hughes Act the work will continue throughout the twelve months of the year and will be presented in the most practical manner possible. Summer work will be devoted to field projects worked out under the supervision of the Agricultural College and the local instructor. The class tsud.v will be supplemented with laboratory work and field demonstrations. The first year Agriculture will be devoted entirely to the study of soils and crops. A detailed study of types of soils and soils management under Colorado conditions will be offered. Under crops, special emphasis will be given to the production of alfalfa, corn, potatoes, oats, barley, beets and fruits. Although the program of the remaining three years has not been definitely worked out, some generalities can be stated here. The subject of plant propagation, orchard management, types and breeds, feeds and feeding, live-stock management and breeding, dairying and creamery practice, farm mechanics and motors, and general farm management will be covered. Means will be provided whereby the student can get some actual experience with soils, crops and live stock by the use of plots and frequent demonstration trips on the near-by farms. The organization of an Agricultural Club membership consisting of all who may wish to join, including the eighth grade is being contemplated. Interesting agricultural subjects of the surrounding community will be discussed. ARTHUR FIDEL. ‘‘Art Fiddle.” Virtue—Bashfulness. Demerit—His dancing. Favorite pastime—Using big words.