Independence High School - Orange and Black Yearbook (Independence, KS)

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Montgomery County High School 7 four simple and eight compound microscopes, an eight-inch reflecting telescope, an optical lantern, a Toepler-Holtz elec- trical machine, dynamos, a large Ruhmkorff coil, batteries, Leyden jars, a telegraph sounder and key, X-Ray apparatus, test tubes, retorts, crucibles and chemicals. An annual appropriation of $200 is made for this department. Work in the natural sciences, with such facilities for experiment, is both interesting and helpful to the student. LIBRARY AND READING ROOM. The Trustees and Faculty have labored earnestly since the establishment of the school to build up a good library for the use of the students. It is conceded that we have one of the best libraries in the state for high school purposes. The room is furnished with thirteen sections of Wernicke book- cases, a magazine case, five large oak tables, a librarianls desk and thirty chairs. Appropriate pictures adorn the walls. The library contains, in addition to pamphlets and government documents, sixteen hundred volumes of care- fully selected books. It is supplied with encyclopedias, dic- tionaries, general reference books, and the works of all the standard authors. Twenty of the best magazines are sub- scribed for and the most of the county papers are donated to the institution. The library has been catalogued by the Dewey system of classification and its value to the school thereby greatly increased. Students also have free access to the Carnegie Library containing about five thousand volumes of choice books. An attempt is made to guide stu- dents in their reading so that they may become familiar with important current events and with the best thoughts of the great writers of all ages. MUSEUM. Considerable time during the past eleven years has been devoted to building up the museum. The collection of Speci- mens is not large, but, through the efforts of the Faculty and

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8 Eleventh Annual Catalogue students and the kindness of friends, it is constantly grow- ing and increasing in value. The collection has been placed in cases in one of the basement rooms and partially classified. The school is indebted to several friends for interesting specimens. Further donations Will be appreciated. ATHLETICS. A reasonable amount of time properly devoted to athlet- ics and to systematic physical training is beneficial to every student. In order to give pupils an opportunity to get some indoor exercise, the Board equipped the gymnasium With a- horizontal bar, parallel bars, a chest Weight wall machine, a. horse, rings, a punching bag, mats, dumb bells, Indian clubs, and other necessary apparatus. Outdoor athletics, basket ball and tennis for girls; base ball, basket ball and tennis for boys, are encouraged under such regulations as may be conducive to the best interests of the school. All the school teams were strong last year and were the Winners in a ma- jority of the games played. The girls basket ball team played nine games and won five. The boys' team Won nine out 01' twelve games played. The base ball team played nine rames against the best teams in this part of the state and made the excellent record of eight victories and but one de- feat. J ames Parker, representing the 'school in the State Hight School Track Meet at Lawrence, won first place in the 440-yard run and received a gold medal for his victory. J erry Shearer reached the semi-finals in the tennis tourna- ment held at the same place and was awarded a bronze medal. Work in the gymnasium and all athletic contests are supervised by some member of the Faculty. SOCIETIES. The work formerly attempted by the literary societies is now being done in the regular recitation periods by dividing the school into sections for rhetoricals. This work is com- pulsory and gives every student of the institution the benefit 01' systematic drill in declamation, essay, debate and oration.