Grove City Area High School - Pine Knot Yearbook (Grove City, PA)

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Principal and Idealist In his letter of resignation. Principal G. H. Crowther listed some Hopes for the Future, in which he presented a number of his theories of education. These theories have grown out of his wide experience in the field of education and we feel they should be permanently recorded. His letter, in part, follows. May I venture the hope and express the wish that soon our School may have a well equipped and lighted Athletic Field, a Department of Agriculture, and a Junior High School plant. In addition to these material improvements I hope there may be more of something that is other than material. I refer to what is commonly known as EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES. In such activities as Athletics, Clubs, and Student Council, pupils try out co-operative ventures for themselves. They not only study about something, but they help plan and do something, under the guidance of counselors. You know the story of the honor graduate from a swimming school in the course of the theory of swimming. When he received his honors he went home, put on his new swimming suit, dived into a pool and—drowned. The day of considering young people educated simply because they have mastered books —factual knowledge ALONE—is passing. Unless we can furnish youth with lifelike situations where they can practice cooperative give-and-take ventures, alone with acquiring of factual book knowledge, they are only partly educated. We, the older generation, have added factual knowledge to factual knowledge until we know how to make fine automobiles, airplanes, trains, ships, chemicals, and what not. But— what do we do with them? Instead of cooperatively working in peace for the good of ourselves and others, we use them—for what? To fight each other, to destroy each others property, and to kill one another. Let's give our boys and girls opportunities to practice getting along with each other—cooperative efforts—so that they may be able not only to make automobiles and airplanes but that they may acquire the HABIT of cooperating —of using their products FOR each other, instead of AGAINST each other. One way of accomplishing this is to give more and more of them what many now call EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES. And let's make most of them CURRICULAR as we already have done in the case of band, orchestra and choruses. Then we can give the pupils credit for such activities—credit they can apply toward a diploma. By so doing we may encourage and help them to acquire the HABIT of cooperative effort. In the process of acquiring this habit they learn to respect and tolerate one another. And people who respect and tolerate each other are less likely as capitalists and laborers to get into situations of distrust which result in deplorable strikes. Some object to trying to get every pupil to take up some ACTIVITY on the assumption that it interferes with, and detracts from, the real work of the school, as they term it—the acquiring of factual knowledge in class work. On the contrary, our experience leads us to believe that the moderate and proper use of ACTIVITIES results in pupils doing better work in their class room subjects than when school, for them, consists wholly of class room work without ACTIVITIES. One of the chief reasons for poor marks in subjects is a poor ATTITUDE TOWARD SCHOOL. If to the bread of class work, we add the seasoning and the vitamins of proper ACTIVITES we have a healthier attitude toward school. In some cases pupils who were about to drop out of school remained because they liked some activity. One such stated he remained in school a year longer than he expected to remain because he liked being a member of the stage crew. In conclusion, ,our experience leads us to state that Factual knowledge plus the habit of cooperative work in ACTIVITIES equal greater success and happiness in school and in after life. Pine Knot — 4

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PUBLISHED BY THE STUDENTS OF GROVE CITY HIGH SCHOOL GROVE CITY, PENNSYLVANIA VOLUME XXIII Pine Knot — 3

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G. H. CROWTHER 7 OR 41 years principal of our high school, Mr Crowther has announced his resignation effective at the close of this school term. Although we will miss him greatly, his work and inspiration will stay on in Grove City High School. Through the many years he served as principal. Grove City High School grew from a three-year, two-teacher school to a four-year, thirty-eight teacher school; from a one course school with no elective subjects, to one of four courses with thirty-seven electives. This development of education, remarkable for its all-around success, would not have continuously increased if it had not been for the patience and administrative powers that distinguish Mr. Crowther. His abilities to inspire students to put forth their best efforts and exercise their democratic ideals as co-workers, are outstanding. So to Mr. Crowther, our friend, a man of sincerity and kindness, a figure of tolerance and unselfishness, who will forever illuminate our school with his ideals....we fondly dedicate this book. Pin Knot — 5