Harding High School - Folio Yearbook (Bridgeport, CT)

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STYL 5 English Department, with a staff of eleven teachers, and the Commercial Department, with a staff of ten teachers. A few statistics may indicate the trend in the distribution of our pupils in these varif ous curricula. College Co-op Explora- Year Prep. General Tr. Com'l. tory Fall 1925' 494 41 6 226 450 Fall 1926 451 63 10 258 480 Spring 1927 468 S1 12 293 470 Fall 1927 472 92 22 318 374 Spring 1928 434 77 23 362 338 The above figures show quite conclusively that there has been a falling off in the College Preparatory group, but a steady gain in the Cofoperative Trade and Commercial groups over a period of two and onefhalf years. Our community conditions, reflected in our community needs and requirements, is clearly demonstrated in the above trend. Our program of studies offers the follow' ing choice of opportunities in curricula: viz., the Exploratory Curriculum for classes one arid two, the College Preparatory, the Gen' eral, the Commercial, and the Cofoperative Trade School Curriculum for upper classes The College Preparatory Curriculum offers opportunity to prepare for college and scientif fic and normal schools The General Curriculum offers a broad and practical education to those pupils who are not preparing for a college but who may be preparing for the profession of nursing. The wide choice of electives allows a pupil to explore in a number of fields or to con' centrate in a special field, according to his abilities and interests: e. g., science, mathe' matics, languages, home training, etc. The Commercial Curriculum offers a thorough training for immediate entrance into business life or continuation of this type of education in a higher institution. The Cofoperative Trade School Curricuf lum gives an opportunity for work in the shops of the State Trade School by permit- ting the pupil to spend part of the day in the Trade School and part in classroom work at Warren Harding High School. Instruction in the following trades is available to the boys: machinist's trade, mechanical drafting, wood pattern making, carpentry, house paint' ing and decorating, plumbing, automobile ref pairing, electrical work, printing, mason work and bricklaying, and foundry practiceg-to the girls, dressmaking and millinery. Economic reasons and the opportunities which are open to our boys and girls in the general business and industrial enterprises of our city, no doubt, have been an incen' tive to them to prepare themselves ade' quately to earn a livelihood. It might be mentioned at this point that the increase in the enrollment in the Com- mercial Curriculum is also reflected in the growth of the Science Department, since science and civics are the approved electives for class one and two pupils who elect junior business training. This latter department is further aug' mented by the pupils of the College Pre' paratory and General Curricula who intend to specialize in the sciences in college or who plan to go directly into the shop or laboraf tory after graduation. Thus the faculty of Warren Harding High School through their splendid esprit de corps find themselves dedicated to the sacred task of developing the personality of the nation's chief spiritual and economic asset, the child.

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STYLUS Administration The public high school of today, in addif tion to the traditional responsibility of prep- aration for college, has assumed a host of other duties, has increased its scope far be' yond that of college preparation alone, and serves a pupil body of which only a small proportion will eventually go to a higher educational institution. Many pupils enter with no definite objective beyond the high school. Therefore, as the Held of service has expanded and the opportunities offered have increased, the high school has been forced to establish machinery whereby pupils may be aided in choosing a profession or vocation, and in selecting that curriculum and such subject matter as will best fit them for that objective. This help, or guidance work, begins before the pupil enters the high school and continues until he graduates or leaves. Before the close of the school term a visit is made to each of the fifteen grade schools which will send pupils to Warren Harding High School the following term. The varif ous educational opportunities offered by the high school are explained to the eighth-grade pupils, and assistance offered in the selection of subject matter for the first year. This is the first step on the part of the high school in taking over the guidance work already started by the city grade schools. The school attempts by every possible means to become better acquainted with the new pupil, to learn his abilities, special tal' ents, preferences, and future aims. The home room teacher keeps for each pupil an indif vidual record covering personal history, ac' tivities, sports, studies, and outside work, and during the first year advises and encourages each pupil to make a serious study of several vocations or professions. At the close of the first year the pupil, aided by parents and the school, selects the type of school work which will be pursued during the remainder of the high school course. The individual subject courses are chosen and definite plans made for the work of each succeeding year. lt is not expected that all pupils will be able to make a permanent vocational selection at this time, but in some cases it can be done, and in all cases a definite educational selection is made. lf at any time it becomes necessary to change this plan, a revision is made of the entire program. By thus aiding in setting up a definite educational objective the school work is made purposeful and real. The pupil remains, so far as possible, with the same home room teacher for the full four years. This plan, although possessing certain disadvantages, leads to a better understanding of the pupil's problems by the teacher and permits more efficient guidance. Raymond P. Wzilker, vicefprincipal Bound by no traditions, it has been the happy privilege of the administrators and faculty of Warren Harding High School to approach many of their problems from the point of view of experimental education in all its phases,--with its flexibility, its adapta- bility, and its elasticity in program. The pupil life of the school centers itself through a carefully directed vocational counf seling and educational guidance program, in cofoperation with our excellent library facili' ties, in the following groups or departments of activities: English, social science, mathe' matics, Latin, modern languages, commercial work, science-as well as in the special activf ities, such as physical education, home nurs- ing, art, household arts, printing, expression, music, and normal conference work. It may be of interest to note that the two largest departments in our school are 'the Qs

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STYL This is brought about by their careful direction and supervision of the child's intel' lectual growth, habit formation, physical, social, and moral development, and aesthetic appreciation. And, if the best is none too good for the youth of today, who will be the lead' ers of the Democracy of tomorrow, why not the best? Agnes E. Collins, vicefprincipal Since the school's paramount interest tof day is to promote more complete social lives of youth as well as physical and intellectual lives, Warren Harding supports such activf ities as we feel will best develop in the pupils suitable habits and attitudes in the social relations of life. We encourage the organization of many different types of ac' tivities in our extrafcurricular program so that the benefits of the social training will be open to the largest possible number ac' cording to their interests and desires. The school endeavors to bring out the educational as well as the social and recreaf tional value of these activities. First, our home room plan of organization, with the home room teacher as adviser, and the home room leader as director, is social in its nature. The members of the group have a few minutes daily to plan together the work and the place their particular room is to take in the affairs of the school both from an ad' ministrative and from a social point of view. Then the different clubs of the school are all social and tend to develop good'felf lowship and pleasant relations among the pupils themselves. The past year we have had many organized active clubs that met at regular times for work and entertain' ment. Some of these were the Latin Club, the French Club, the junior Business Club, the S. O. S. Club, the Glee Clubs and the Speech Club, Besides their regular weekly meetings, each one of these groups gave an entertainment or dance during the year. These affairs were open to the whole school. Another phase of our school life which is entirely social in its nature is the daily luncheon of thc pupils. Our boys and girls are allowed to eat with whom thcy'please and chat with their friends very freely. They have the sponsorship of only one per son at this time. During the year we have many pure ly social functions, such as dances and frolics. Practically all of these affairs are held after regular school hours in the after noon in our own building under the direc' tion of sponsors. Only very few evening affairs are held during the year. We usual' ly have one entertainment, the Senior Ban- quet and the Senior Prom, in the evening during each semester. We feel that it is harmful for boys and girls of high school age to attend evening functions, besides, the school dislikes the added responsibility im' posed by such activities. All parties are under sponsorship and are arranged by committees of pupils selected by these patrons or elected by the group. The past year the French Club, the S. O. S. Club, and the Theatre League all gave very fine dances in the gymnasiumg the junior Business Club gave a party in the Commerf cial Department: and the Latin Club gave a splendid program in the auditorium. Different organizations, such as the Library Squad, the Leaders Squad, and the Stage Craft Club, while partly social in their nature, are groups that meet for dehnitely planned work. Their meetings are irregular. The Boys' Clee Club has appeared twice this year before the public and the Girls' Clcc Club once. The Senior Banquet is an evening affair planned by the pupils under thc direction of an adviser and chaperoncd by the ad' ministrators and senior class teachers. The