Hyde Park High School - Aitchpe Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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to the principal, who is not able to do any class work. All of last year ' s teachers returned this year, except Mr. Kern, who resig-ned to accept a position in the Chicag o University. Probably no school of similar grade in the country excels this in the strength and abilit} ' of its teaching- force, and the work which is beings done here is attracting- attention and commendation from our leading- colleg-es and universities, as well as from the public at larg-e. PHYSICS LABORATORY. The course of study is the same as in former years, but there is manifest a g-rowing- spirit of earnestness on the part of the student body, which is very g-ratifying to the instructors, and the character of the work is undoubtedly improving- from year to year. To this end the equipment of the school has been g-radually increased until to-day it is nearly complete.

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preceding- year, and this number has been increasing- until at the present writing- the enrollment exceeds 1,300. As the building could not be made to accommodate more than 1,000 it was necessary to dismiss a portion of the school for the remainder of the week, until additional rooms and teachers could be secured. Three beautiful rooms were secured at the McCosh School, and two more, not so beau- tiful, were rented at Woodlawn. Three new teachers were eng-ag-ed and two were transferred from the main building-, so that school could be opened the next Monday for work. These two branches were maintained until about Febru- ary first, when they were both removed to the new Walter Scott School, where they now occupy pleasant quarters on the third floor. It seems unfortunate that the school cannot be accommodated in a sing-le building-. But the g-rowth of this community is so rapid and the resources of the city, which are available for High School purposes, are so limited, that there is no hope of relief in the immediate future. The opening- of the next year will probably bring- an increase in numbers which will make the Hyde Park Hig-h School the larg-est in the city, if not in the west. An effort is being- made to restrict to some extent the size of the entering classes. The plan of requiring- an exami- nation for admission has been earnestly advocated, but it is probable that some system of probation or trial will finally be adopted. The one most favored allows the entering- classes a trial of four months, and if any prove themselves unable to do the work satisfactorily, they will be sent back to the Grammar Schools, while those who have attained a proper standard of scholarship will be retained as reg-ular members of the school. This plan is in operation in many colleg-es and meets with g-eneral favor. The work of instruction in all departments of the school is carried on bv a force of thirtv-seven teachers, in addition

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Next year a considerable chang-e will be made in the arrang-ement of the work, particularly in the science courses. In the first year Physiog-raphy will take the place of Biolog-y, which will be advanced to the second year, Althoug-h this name is a new one, it is practically an old friend. Physical Geog-raphy was dropped from the course five years ag-o, but it now returns to us in a new form and revised and expanded to meet the requirements of modern science and pedag-og-y. It will undoubtedly prove a helpful and interesting- study, and it cannot help being- unobjectionable to all. Physics will come in the third year, and Chemistry in the fourth year, alternative with Geolog-y and Astronomy. On account of the difficulty of making- such a sweeping- change in one year Physics will be omitted entirely next year and Physiog-raphy will be studied in both the first and second years, while Chemistry will remain one more year in the third year and then will be omitted for one year. The number of students who are preparing- for college courses is constantly increasing. Last year 30 per cent of the graduating class went to college, and this year the pro- portion will be larger still. The new plan of admission which has been adopted by the University of Chicago enables us to give all the preliminary examinations in connection with our own class work, and if they are all satisfactorily passed, the University grants a full admission certificate without further condition. Although this is greatly to the advantage of the school, a great many still prefer to take their examinations at the University, believing that they can pass more easily there than here. The Drawing department won much praise by its exhibit at the State Fair in Springfield last autumn. Out of five first prizes offered to all the high schools in the state, in competi- tion, we secured four, leaving one to be won by the Calumet High School. The exhibit, together with those from the