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

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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.

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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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 ! The Orange and Black 1 EDITORIAL COMMENT This year the Senior (Mass of our High School decided to publish a school paper instead of an annual. The plan was decided upon at the suggestion of Mr. Hirons, our popular and capable principal. When Mr. Hirons returned from his visit to the leading High Schools of Colorado, he explained how a small paper, issued monthly, might be as interesting and of more value than an annual. When the cost of an annual, similar to those formerly published by our school, was estimated, the figure greatly exceeded our resources. To attempt it would have been foolish for the Senior (Mass of this year. And so a monthly publication was decided upon, tlie first we have succeeded in doing this, we are satisfied: where we have failed, we leave it to the staff of 1919-1920 to profit by our mistakes. To make our paper broad in its interests we must have material from all phases of school life, as: Athletic, Social and Literary. To make it constructive, we have tried to encourage school activities, as: in the procuring of pictures for our building: the athletic and declamatory contests held in Montrose, and all athletics in which the High School is interested. To make it democratic, we have had all classes in the Senior High represented on the staff. In fact, we ORANGE AND BLACK STAFF. Top Row, Left to Right—Leila Fay Swire, Society Editor: Richard Sydenham. Athletic Editor: Sarah McCarty, Literary Editor; Ru Williamson. Assistant Business Manager. Bottom Row—Evelyn Roberts, Freshman Reporter: Donald Hezlep, Editor in Chief; Harold Richardson. Business Manager: Marjorie Carstensen, Local Editor. issue of which appeared in December. Then let us consider the advertising, without which a school publication would be impossible. In the first place, the advertising in an annual is of very little value to the average business man, other than Keeping the good will of the student body; but, in a monthly paper, where the cost of advertising is so low, the business men feel they get full value received. A prominent citizen recently remarked that the most decisive factors in community development in the next decade will be the newspaper, the amusement center, the school and the church, and of these he considered the newspaper first. We feel that this may be true of the school paper. It can influence and reflect school sentiment, if it is broad, constructive and democratic in its material. Where have made it a paper published by the students of the High School and not by the Senior (Mass alone. To do all this, it is necessary to have the co-operation of a large per cent of the student body. In this, our last issue of the Orange and Black for 1918-1919, we wish to express our appreciation for the co-operation of the students and the faculty, the pleasure we have had in putting forth this paper and to extend to our successors our sincerest good wishes. So here’s a toast— “A better, bigger Orange and Black.” MONTHLY PUBLICATION BETTER THAN ANNUAL By WALTER WALKER, Editor Daily Sentinel. I have been a “constant reader” of the very excellent and exceedingly interesting little monthly paper the