Kemper Military School - Yearbook (Boonville, MO)

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Academic Department The Izumi that follozrs 1.IlZL6'NCJCf can ac'l1fcf'c'.-MICHAEL ANGELO. Knozrleflgc is pozrer.-BAc'ON. A boy is better zfnlmrw H1011 unfauglzf.-GASCOIGNE. Scope of Work The studies pursued are those of the high school, supplemented by certain commercial subjects and preceded by some grammar school work. The courses are kept carefully revised to conform fully to present educational requirements. The high school work embraces four years of English, four of Mathematics, four of History, four of Latin, two of Greek, two of German, two of French, two of Span- ish, one of Chemistry, one of Physics, and two of Manual Training and Drawing. The commercial subjects are Bookkeeping, Commercial Arithmetic, Commercial Law, Typewriting, and Shorthand. The gram- mar school work is such as is usually pursred in the fifth, sixth, sev- enth, and eighth grades. The woik is intended to prepare a boy for college or the National Academies, or to give him such information, taste, and training as will make him more than able to hold his own in the business world. The curriculum is Hexible enough to allow due consideration of the indi- viduality of the boy, but rigid enough to hold him to a course that has once been chosen. Emphasis is laid at all times on the practical side of the work. Thoroughness Realizing that it is the trained mind that wins the prizes of this age, every means is employed to produce trained minds. The utmost thoroughness is insisted on in all classes. The boy is soon taught that if he knows a thing in a hazy way, he doesn't know anything that is worth While. To gain thoroughness, every study texcept a few week- lies mentioned belowj is recited live times a week. Every boy must

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football and baseballg a target-range for all distances up to 500 yards with best modern equipment, tennis courts, parade-grounds, a quarter- mile track, etc. The buildings have been erected with a special View to their use, and are commodious and well adapted to the needs of students. They are heated by steam and lighted by electricity from the power-house, which is a separate building. A part of the Main Building is occu- pied by the Superintendent and his family as a residenceg the rest contains, on the first floor a beautiful, well furnished and commodi- ous mess-hall, offices of the Superintendent and the Quartermaster, recitation rooms, and a large, well lighted study hall capable of seat- ing 150 Cadets, and on the second and third floors Cadet and Facrlty quarters. The Cadet quarters are of even size and are furnished with a radiator, wardrobe, toilet conveniences, two single beds, table, chairs, and mirror. A Faculty officer lives on each hall. Each floor is pro- vided with first-class toilet and bath rooms, supplied with hot and cold water and meeting every sanitary requirement. In the basement are the laundry and tailoring departments. To provide for the increasing numbers, it was found necessary three years ago to erect a commodious three-story building with base- ment and attic. Half the large and well lighted basement is devoted to the Chemical and Physical Laboratories, and half to the well equipped Manual Training Department. The first floor contains offices, recita- tion rooms, and a large, well equipped, and attractive reading room. The second and thi1'd fioors are devoted to Cadet and Faculty quar- ters, with an arrangement very similar to that of the Main Building. The Gymnasium contains, in the basement, a drill hall, armory, and bowling alleys: on the main floor, a gymnasium with a floor space of 3,600 sqrare feet, a stage for theatricals, lectures, etc., a gallery, and dressing rooms. The building is lighted by electricity and fully meets the requirements of the military and athletic departments, enabling them to carry on their work regardless of weather condi- tions. +167

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carry four daily studies and is limited to five. It is the aim not only to impart knowledge, but also to train the mind to intense application and attention. The boy is placed amid surroundings best conducive to attain these ends and is given every proper incentive to strive for them. He is then required to live up to the motto, Every boy gets every lesson every day. If he fails, he makes the lesson up on the day of the failure. This business-like method appeals to all. The indolent and untrained boy may at first think it a bit strenuous, but he soon learns the invaluable lesson that duties are to be performed and per- -vw w.-vw .. .X l'IIul lu UI: bl'.11rNIY XILXII ' - WHRK IN MAXN,.MA .1.HMNlN,,. foimed on time. The ieally energetic and ambitious boy realizes that it offers him a rare opportunity for advancement, for the idlers do not hold him back. The excellence of the system is attested by the fact that our scholarship winners are frequently boys that have done poorly in high school. When a boy has the right stuff in him, he is willing and anxious to be held to a high standard. Small Classses A powerful contributor to good individual work is the small size of the classes. This year they have averaged ten. Abnormally large classes, with the consequent lack of attention to the individual student and his peculiarities and needs, do not obtain here. With small classes we are able to find the needs of every boy and meet them. The recitation periods are forty minutes longg Laboratory, Type- writing, Manual Training and Bookkeeping periods are eighty. Sunday and Monday The School is divided into Bible classes, which meet with the teachers Sunday morning for half an hour, after spending three- quarters of an hour in preparation. The Bible is studied from the standpoint of history, literature, and morality, and with no intention of impressing the tenets of any particular creed on the minds of the students.