Horace Mann High School - Horace Manual Yearbook (Gary, IN)

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How calm, how beautiful comes on The stilly hour, when storms are gone !— MOORE Page Eleven

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Light is the task when many share the toil. —Homer Page Ten

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Work-Study-Play System The Gary ch ild spends more days a year, and more hours a day in school than any other child in the United States. The Work-Study-Play system gives a child a free hour ’ or a special” between each academic, which tends to lighten the study work and also gives him more enjoyment. A “free hour” means an hour which is spent during lunch or in the gym¬ nasium. In the gymnasia of Gary are to be found from one to three instructors who are graduates of physical educational schools and colleges. Here deformed children are given certain exercises vyjawfagsend. to do away with the deformity: correct posture is taught, and excises are given to strengthen and develop the body physically along with tfee mental training in the class room. Competi¬ tive athletics are sponsored where all are encouraged to participate. Gary is very well known because of its good athletic teams ihich have taken National Championships in some sports. This is especially trim of its track and basket¬ ball teams and there is no doubt that they would do the same in football if a national championship game were played in this sport. A full hour for lunch is; given to each child which allows him time to digest his meal properly. Many -of the schools maintain self-supporting cafeterias where the girls, taking home economics, cook and prepare the food under the directions of a home economics teacher. Study halls and libraries are also provided where the pupil may study or do any reference work that is necessary. The libraries are maintained by the community public library system and a trained librarian is in charge, who helps the pupil with his reading and reference work. The chance is also given to. each child to do some manual labor in the ma¬ chine shops, foundries, mechanical drawing rooms, print shops, and in many other kinds of shops in which the different pupils are interested. This plan has the advantage of giving a child an insight into certain industries and in many cases helps materially in helping him decide his life work. The Auditoriums are used much the same as class rooms in that each hour a definite group is assembled where music is taught and a program of some sort is put on by the pupils, representing different types of class room work. Special teachers are provided to train and instruct the pupils for these programs. The classes begin at 8:15 in the morning and continue until 4:15 in the afternoon. The typical student program is: a lunch hour, an hour in the gym nasium. a study-hour, and five hours of class-room and laboratory work. In other communities only six hours are spent in school which gives the child more time for the streets, and usually results in wrong habit formation. Saturday School is also offered to the student to make up work, become more efficient in academic subjects, or spend time in the vocational departments. It is not compulsory, but has always been well attended. Length of the school year is ten months with very few vacations. During the summer the schools are open for eight weeks starting the Monday after the regular school ends. In these eight weeks conditions may be made up, advanced work may be taken, or the playgrounds may be used. About 75 per cent of the regular school enrollment is present during the summer. The playgrounds are open all the year round and during the summer they are open until 9 o’clock P. M. which gives the children of the neighborhood some place for recreation other than the streets. —Gerald Johnson. Page Twelve