Paris High School - Arena Yearbook (Paris, IL)

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Paris High School Paris High School boasts of the largest enrollment in its history for the year 1930-J1. To date there arc enrolled 680 pupils, 340 boys and 340 girls. The Senior class has a membership of 140 members, the Junior class 175 members, the Sophomore class 150, and the Freshman class 214. A striking feature of the enrollment this year is the perfect division of boys and girls. Three separate courses are offered—the College Preparatory, the Commercial, and the General Course. For graduation from any course the requirements arc four years of English, two years of mathematics, two years of history, and one year of science. In addition to these there is offered to students in the college preparatory course a choice of four years of Latin, two years of French, three additional years of science, a third year of history, a third year of mathematics, and one semester of civics. In the commercial department there is offered a course in junior business training, in vocations, in commercial geography, commercial arithmetic, salesmanship, bookkeeping, and a two years’ course in shorthand and typewriting. A one year course in typing only is also offered. In addition to the required subjects, a student desiring a general course may make a choice from the above subjects, and also has offered for his consideration two years of agriculture, two years of manual training, a year of foods, clothing, economics, and art. The faculty consists this year of twenty-eight members, three of whom, Miss Hougham in music, Mrs. Cook in art, and Miss Doak in physical training, devote only part time to high school work. The English department has five members, three of whom devote full time to the subject; the Latin department, two; French, one; science, three; history, three; commercial, three; foods, one; clothing, one; mathematics, three; agriculture, one; manual training, one; physical training, two. Paris High School was fortunate in having very few changes in the faculty for this year. Mr. Arthur Forster of the chemistry department accepted the principalship of Mayo Departmental School and was succeeded by Mr. William Parker; Miss Olalla Glasgow’s place in General Science was filled by Miss Margaret Steele; Miss Maurinc Mcllroy of the English department was succeeded by Miss Margaret Graham; Miss Goodwin in history, by Miss Betty Parrish, and Mrs. Mahan in commercial, by Miss Mary Downs. An increase in the enrollment of the household science department made another teacher necessary, and Miss Galena Kibby was employed as teacher of clothing. Paris High School is looking forward to one of the most successful years in its history. T urnt -»ix

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rhe Pioneer School Education is a necessary auxiliary to progress. The pioneers, while usually not educated themselves, were quick to realize the advantages of education for their children. Thus the school was one of their earliest interests. Sometimes the school was held at the church, but more often a special building was constructed. This building was nude of rough-hewn logs, the cracks being chinked” with clay. The roof was made of hand-cut clapboard, and the windows were covered with sheep or deer skin. In the midst of these crude surroundings, the pioneer children went to school. The curriculum of the pioneer school was limited in extent, unpolished in texture. It included, of course, the Three R’s, Reading, 'Riting, and ’Rithmetic.” History and geography were usually taught, although the books available were probably incomplete and inaccurate. If the teacher were qualified, Latin might be taught to some of the older and more intelligent pupils. The English grammar was usually very limited; and as Latin was believed to be the basis of all grammar, English grammar books of the period were composed chiefly of a series of conjugations of English verbs after the Latin fashion. Rut, although these early schools seem almost primitive when compared to our well-equipped modern schools, they accomplished their purpose. The pioneer schools laid the foundations for the schools and educational system of today, and the thoroughness of their work is apparent. The pioneers could not have many of the educational and other advantages obtainable today. Hut they made the best of the opportunities they had and, in the end, many of their names were not lacking in the list of the nation's most distinguished men. They did not know the importance of the part they played in the establishment of our nation; they did not realize that their crude log school whose architects were frontiersmen was the nucleus of many and great institutions of learning; that it was the vanguard of advancing civilization. —Murphy Dorris, 31.