Lafayette High School - Oak Yearbook (St Joseph, MO)

Page 8 text:

Hfwlafwfikzrlg DEDICATION Because of his devotion to the business of educating boys and girls, because of his enthusiastic loyalty to Lafayette, we, the Class of 1928, dedicate this book to our principal, Arthur L. Dailey.

Page 7 text:

1 .zz f-Q ::' N ... Q :L-,.-',- X 7', : '-'.f ' Q faq v I. Administration . II. Classes III. Lafayette IV. Feature Section '3-

Page 9 text:

A YV- .F -.v.-- .-1 t ll in iahtmaki it ui 1 A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL EAR the middle of the eighteenth century, a tendency toward higher education arose in America. It became evident that the old Latin grammar school type of education was inadequate for the youth of America. The result was the rise of a tuition academy. The most characteristic features of these academies were their broader course of study, their religious purpose and the extension of their instruction to girls. The old Latin school was a free school, maintained by the towns for the higher instruction of the sons of the wealthy. It was aristocratic. The academy, offering a broader opportunity, was a step toward democracy. One of the main purposes expressed in the creation of the academy was to establish courses in a number of subjects, valuable aside from being a mere preparation for college, useful in preparing youths for the larger opportunities in business, and society. A new emphasis on the study of English, mathe- matics, and book science was noticeable. New subjects appeared as the academies increased in number and importance. Among the new subjects were: algebra, astronomy, botany, chemistry, philosophy, declamation and debating. In religious matters the academies represented a change. They were pervaded by a religious spirit, yet they were kept free from the doctrines of any particular church. The functions of the academy were: to lay the foun- dations for the American free public school: to teach the GREAT AND REAL BUSINESS OF LIVING. The academy represents the period during which democratic ideals were taking shape in the American mind. It continued until these democratic ten- dencies turned to the idea of free public high schools. The history of the American high school, proper, began in 1821-. It was in that year that the first high school in the United States was established at Boston, Massachusetts. This was a school for boys. In 1823 Boston opened a high school for girls which was abolished five years later. The boys' school was a three-year school. Its teachers were required to have been educated at some university. English, declamation, sciences, math- ematics and its application, history and logic were the primary studies. r in i ii 1928 it in I Page Five