Plymouth High School - Mayflower Yearbook (Plymouth, IN)

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I2 THE SENIOR ANNUAL teachers shall be high school graduates, the regular High School course is recommended. If the commercial work is desired, it may be taken in the Third and Fourth years after a good foundation in 'tl'1Cif1lH'Cl'21'l'I16l'1t3.l branch-es has been established. Special work should be taken only by those pupils who find it impossible to take a High School course. From the lteigfilnin-ing of its calreer 'the Plymouth High School has occupied ai prominent place among the 'secondary schools of the state. In 1873 the Board of Trustees of Indiana University adopted the following resolutions: In order to bring the University into closer connection with th-e High Schools of the State, we recommend the ffollowing plan. A certificate from certain- High Schools fto be named hereafter by the State Board of Elducationfj of ai satisfactory examinfa-tion sus- tained in the preparatory course will entitle the bearer to admis- sion to the Freshfm-an 'cla'ss.', Alt a mleetling of the State Board, in the following August, a circular letter wars sent out to High Schools to ascertain what 'schools were qualilidd to do preparatory work. High School commissions 'were printed and in the spring of 1874, '21 schools wiere 'CO'IT1lITlllS'S1lOI1CCl, among them Plymouth. In April 1875, the Board of Education placed Purdue University in affilia- tion with comrmissionied High Schools. Since 'thalt time all State ln- stitutioins hiave been placed on the same basis as Indiana and Pur- due Universiity, and from time to time denominational and private schools have been aidided to the l'ist, until now alll 'schools of Higher Education in the Staitie receive graduates from coinmi-ssioinied Higih Schools vvithout examiiniati-on. Recently the Plymouith High School has received 'additional privileges from Higher Infsititutlions, and now has the 'same advafn- tages as the best High Schools ot the State. In May, 1908, Plymouth High School was admitted for the first 'time to the accredited list of IIniversit'ie's of the west. The Hligh School was again adimi-tted in April, 1909. The graduates may enter such ins-titutions as thie University of Michigan anld the University of Wiscoiiisiii Without exam-iniat'ion. Further r1e'coigni'ttioi11 was given in April 1909, when Plymouth was placed on the a-Hiliiated list of the University of Chi- cago. This gave Qin adldiition to the privileges of being a member of the accredited listj graduates off the High School, scholarship ad- vantages and an o-pportuinity for High School teachers 'to pursue post graduate courses at lliittle expense. S-chool interest has been much stimulated throughout the Coun- ty. due to competition in atihletics and oratorv. Plymouftlh High Slchool has 'bel-ongeidl to the Indiatna High School Association since the time of its organlizaitlio-n. lt is also a member of the Northern In- fdliana High School Association. In the fall of 1906 the County Ora- torieafl Association was organized. and in the three contests -which have been held since that time, Plymouth High School has won first place. The follorvving are statistics showing 'in a 'brief way the develop- ment of the High S-dh001-

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THE SENIOR ANNUAL 11 The High Sclhool olcciulpied -the easltern half of the second floor. Thi-s space was divided into an assemlbly hall anld one recitation room. The C'l'l'I O'lilH1lC'lllt rin the 'Hliglh School in: 1873 vvtals 39. As to the course df stluvdy at that 'ti1ne, we quote the follolw- ing: The High Sch-ool gives instruction in 1ll'3fll'ltC-l1lv3.lt'lC'S as far as to surveying, in natural s-cieu-ce, includi-nig boftany, physical geograpllry, c'hem'i's'tlry, phyisviology, astronomy. natural pfhii-losopfliy-Iits course in. the Englislh la'n.gu'age emlbraces English, rhetoric, and English literature, to fwlhilch is 'adlded 'political 6'C0'I'll0l1ly, generanl hisftoryand a thorough knowledge of 'book-keepiiig. Sulclh classes in Germain and Laxtlin afs may the d'esrired are also formed. The study of the con- st'i't'u'tion olf the United States is requri-red olf pupils entering the High Schlool. The exercise in literary work conIs'i'st's of delhalting, es- says, 'flC'ClZlll1l1Z1vlllOIll', 'and readings annd are h'eld' daily thus affording an. amounrt of drill wfhich coulid not 'be had when the exercises were held monthly. A weekly reci-tat'io-n in 'thle currenlt. news of the day is had in the Higih School and first grade. W'r'ititen exarinin-atiowns are held 'whlen tlleemeltl ardvisa'ble. generalllly rinovnlthly, and at the close of each year an annual texamuinatrion is 'hvadf' Unltil 1903, few changes were made in the Hlilgh Slclhool sys- tem. At that time the 'course of study was rchalnzgeld and enrichedg the nu-miher of in's-itructorrs increased 'to four: tthe assembly hal! was enlarged. recitatlion rooms inrcrearsed to tiwo, and a physical and Bo- tanical Laboraltory room with equfipment provided. The enrrollment 'inicreaised rapidly from this 'tlime o-n, and in 1907 it became nerceslsary to make c'han-ges in. order to accomnnordate the rapidly increasing a't'tendance. The Auditoniuni was fit-ted up for an A'ssen1'hly Hall. Tfhe old Assembly 'hall was made over into three recitation rooms. This gave for 'high 'school purposes a study hall with a seatinig caipaleity ovf over tlwo hundred pupils, five reci- tation rooms, and two lalboraltories. In 1903 a folurth vear was added to the Hligh School course, anld the credit svst-em of promotion in- troduced. A credit is given for a grade of 75 per cent or above for one semester. T'l1inty-'tlhnee credits aire required for graduation. The 'adv'a.nce'ment of elducational affairs has necessitated a change in the cofurse of sltudy from time to time. In the fall of 1907 a Commercial Department was rintroduced. and has proven to be one of fthe m-ost valuable features of the High School Course. Two courses of 'study are olfereld, one preparatory to college, the other arranged for those fvvhlo do not l11ltC'l1lCl to 'continue in scholl- astic study. The tivwo 'courses are id'entica.l for the first and second years. Election of studies is open to pupils of the Fourth Year, and so far as possible tfhle pupil is advised to elect those studies whlich wlill 'best fit 'him 'for his vocation alfter leaving High School. Special studenfts desiring 'to take up co'mm'erc'ial work only, sh-oulfd file with the superinttendenft a written request to that eifect. eonnlter-signed by the pzarenrt or guardliain. 'For the completion of this work a cert'ilfiicate of attainment will be granted. Because of the grovvvlinig te-n.den'ciy of 'busfiness men to employ High School gradu- ates and one of the m-inium state law requirement thalt all new

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THE SENIOR ANNUAL SCHOOL l ll. S. li. S. Number Number Number Enrollment Enrollment nl ol ol Rooms YEAR 1 3 Yenrs 4 Years Graduates Teachers Used 1873-71 39 no data 0 2 2 1878-79 3-1 7414 8 2 2 1883-8-1 28 631' 6 2 1888-89 41 701' 13 2 2 1893-9-1 52 6115 9 3 3 1898-99 -16 6915 18 3 3 1902-03 53 8014 11 3 3 1903-04 118 16 4 5 1901-05 130 12 4 5 1905-06 155 21 5 G 1906-07 173 38 6 7 1907-08 183 23 8 ! 8 1908-09 193 32 8! 8 I . it Includes enrollment in what was then the First Grade ! Music teacher included. 1 It mlm 1 JUNIOR CATASTROPHE. Tfhe night was 'dark and dreary, quite fitting for the daring en terprises of the bold, had juniors, as, armed with their trusty soft soap -tulb, they scoured the country in search of said article, not to 'soft sioalp Uhie Seniors, far be it 'from them to do that. The bold Mc- Crory, the worse Tommy, the au-dacious Bolb, all ready for aniy deed of daring, after gioing many weary miles to procure their im- plemenfts of wair, assemebled at the coal shed, not k'I10lVV'lI1!g that their dastandlly imaginatzionsl were known to the ever vrigilants, Art, Mac, and Alex. Hist quoted Tomrmy, I am afraid my Palpa will say something ,when I get home? , just think what -the -girls will say, assured Bob. Then they paid down Uheir good 853.50 to a. certain telepfhonie linemaln, who ascended the pole on the sichrool-house, taclcefd the he-arultiful Junior pennant thereon, and soaped down said pole. Then, while M'c'Crory was. faflling into th-e soft so-ap tub, our trusty deteetiv-es hvied them in great haste for Professor Alexaznider, :w1ho'with- his truslty spurs, regardless of soft soap, lb-navelly climlbed the dizzy heights till he tore 'down the offendilng rag, anfd placed the royal purple amid cream in its placle. W'hen the juniors cam-e to school t-he n-ext morning they won- dered fwhy the Seniors were so kinwd as to wveair th-e-ir colors, even if on their so-cks. They -thoughlt 'tlhe Seniors were acknowleidiging themsrelvies beaten. and this 'was the sign of sluirrender, but when Bob looked at the ltop of the school hlouse he rememlbered that his- toric day wlhen Miss Griffin asked hlim for the past tlense of siting.