Needham High School - Advocate Yearbook (Needham, MA)

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In the l87O's, however, the school committee began considering new subjects, and one member suggested the addition of music to the curriculum. They voted not to spend any money on music, but in 1877 Mr. Tilden was permitted to give instruction in music in the schools without expense to the town. The attitude toward such subjects as music grew more liberal, and in 1887 the town authorized the buying of fifty copies of the New High School Music Reader for instruction in music. At this time the school was occupying the Kimball Building and was having fewer changes of teachers and buildings. Greek and German were now part of the curriculum as well as music, and students could choose from three programs of study, the classical course, the business course, and the modern language course. In 1885 the school committee suggested the study of subjects such as temperance, physiology, and hygieneg but these motions were rejected. One member voted against the addition of such new subjects because he felt that the schools were already cumbered with too many studies and should hesitate to introduce another. Throughout the next thirty to forty years the curriculum gradually changed and enlarged with such subjects as chemistry and mechanical drawing. In 1923, with the opening of the High School on Highland Avenue next to the Emery Grover Building, domestic science and manual training were offered, and for the Iirst time physical education was officially part of the curriculum. In 1930 another new building, the present one, allowed the addition of such subjects as biology. Since then, many new courses, such as Russian and calculus, have been added to the curriculum g and the program of accelerated and advanced placement courses has been established.

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1865 classroom enacted by members of the class of 1965. Page of a. nineteenth century grammar book. 'lxnuwne tm AxA.LYlI8.', 'i o-L' 1 ii summons wmr Apxunmi. if t wa, mt- W iVsg..t......'fisi' Nuu,.e,y'lhen?uq,-pangs K ,.7- . , ,, naomsu 454,34 to W-I?-32 07 , - -. Quad. Concerning what in an exertion hm mah' Am. Concerning resources, What in alerted of resouxeefl A. Resources are developed. Wluu resources are developed! A. Muioru1l resources. ' 5 WI-44 national resources! A. Our national reeoux-ws. Hou are our national ruouroes developed! A gBy an ia:-rural culture Qf'ul6M1lg'Pl ' yulual cu Cure! A. By earnest culture. Wh! urnest cultural A. An earnest culture. Wm .mu mmm A.Qu1t1ue Hqfthc arts qfpelos' Ol aim! nm V , A. 41776113525 uvpnxl g ,gr I Education in the 1860's contained few extras or frills, and the curriculum of Needham High School was a strictly academic or useful one. Algebra, geometry, French, botany, and natural, moral, and mental philosophy were the subjects taught by Professor Silas Bundy Rawson and later by Albion Cate, an undergraduate at Harvard. Latin also was included in the curriculum, although one member of the school committee strongly disapproved of permitting girls to study Latin. Students who Wanted to attend high school had to be serious about their studies, for they had to pass an examination in order to be admitted. They had to achieve 8072: on their mathematics examination and similarly high scores on their other examinations. In 1890, of thirty-tive students who took the examinations, twenty-three passed the tests and were approved, four were conditionally approved, and eight failed. When the school was combined with Oakland Hall under Jonas B. Clarke, a larger number of courses were offered, but since the high school was at Oakland Hall only two terms, no important change occurred. When the school moved back to Parker Hall, Mr. W. E. Skillings, the next teacher, continued the original rigid curriculum with, perhaps, the addition of grammar.

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1938-1939 Hockey Team fcoached by Mr. Asa Smallb. Photograph by Bachrach 1935 Girl's Tennis Team 12