Scarborough High School - Four Corners Yearbook (Scarborough, ME)

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THE FOUR CORNERS 9 academies fitted their students for tlie col¬ leges, which were also under private gov¬ ernment. The colleges had long winter vacations so as to allow their students to go out and teach in the common schools. This system of common school went on until 1877. Then the town voted to estab¬ lish free high schools which were held at Beech Ridge, Oak Hill and Dunstan dis¬ tricts. The fall term was held at Beech Ridge, the winter term at Dunstan, and the spring term at Oak Hill, thus giving students a chance to attend high school all of the school year. While the high school was in session, there was no common school held in that district. In 1879 the legisla¬ ture suspended the Free Act, so the town did not keep high school. School went on as it did before the high school was started. In 1S90 high school was held in the Town Hall for the first time. In 1891 it was changed to the Good Templars Hall in Dunstan, hut was found detrimental in many ways. The following year it was held in the. Town Hall without any inter¬ ruption until 1905 when the present Oak Hill school was built. This school housed both high school and grammar school pu¬ pils. Within a few years this school was too small to hold all the pupils, so in 1920 Scarboro built a new high school — the present school. After we have learned of our high school ' s growth, I am sure that we should thank our far-seeing citizens for our Sear- boro High School. During the last year and a half, we have been working toward the beautification of our building. Last Spring, after trans¬ ferring the library to the former club room, the manual training department under the supervision of Mr. Hallctt installed moulding in the teachers’ room, the library, and the two home rooms, making it possible to hang pictures without mar¬ ring the walls. Through the kindness of Miss Marian Jordan, we have received five valuable reproductions of the masters, Velasquez and Michael Angelo. The three Velasquez reproductions are “The Spin¬ ners,” the “Surrender of Breda,” and “The Forge.” All are done in sepia and framed in brown, as is also a copy of the “Roman Forum which is hung near them. This year Miss Jordan gave us a copy of “The Libyan Sibyl and Esais” by Michael Angelo. These are in black and white and framed in silver, making beautiful addi¬ tions to our library. The Freshman home room contains por¬ traits of George Washington and Theodore Roosevelt, and will have one of Abraham Lincoln as soon as it can be reframed. Also this room has a map of ancient Portland framed. The Sophomore home room has a copy of Sir Laurence Alma Tadema’s “Reading from Homer” and two smaller ones of scenes in Rome. Both home rooms are now equipped with two splendid cases of maps of the most modern type. The teachers’ room has a small colored copy of the “Sistine Madonna.” Recently both the teachers’ room and the library have been curtained with beautiful glass curtains of ecru marquisette, thus adding to the attractiveness of the rooms.

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8 THE FOUR CORNERS obeyed a traffic liglit or violated other traffic laws. Traffic laws! There are many, and there are also laws for the pedestrian, but, be that as it may, there would be comparative safety for all, if laws were to be obeyed. What were the laws made for, if not for our protection $ What for, if not to be obeyed? And again what for, if not to save the lives of many unfortunate people who are killed in accidents each year ? Older people as well as small children need to obey the law of pedestrians, for over half the fatalities to highway travelers occur among the grown-up; people who have heedlessly disregarded all lights, signs, rules and other safety devices. In such cases they are more in error than the un¬ fortunate motorist. So in an appeal to the better sense of the people, drive carefully, observe regulations for pedestrians and be ready to guard little children from the menace of automobiles. WHY NOT? Awards should be made for scholastic merit in our school as well as for athletics. letters and ribbons are awarded those wlio place in athletic events. Why shouldn ' t like awards be given those who achieve high rank in their studies? The school, primarily, is a place for learning. Athletics are extra-curriculum activities. And yet awards are given for these athletics and not for scholastic rank. Every boy and girl would like to wear a letter “S.” Even if they can’t for some reason compete in the athletic field, they might Ik able to win a letter by study. Put¬ ting uj these awards would naturally tend to make pupils strive harder for good rank. Some pupils may be crippled or in some way physically unlit but mentally capable. Why shouldn ' t these boys and girls wear the emblem of the school as well as the athletes ( Therefore, 1 end my request: awards should be made for scholastic merit in our school as well as for athletics. HISTORY OF S. H. S. To appreciate our high school today, we should have some knowledge of its develop¬ ment. About 1S00 Scarboro was divided into districts varying in size. Each district owned and cared for its properties. Money was obtained for the building of the school- house by levying a tax upon the property within the limits of the school district and each had its agent who hired the teachers and cared for school accommodations. Con¬ sequently, the larger and more populated districts, the better the school. In the smaller districts the families took turns in hoarding the teacher, thus helping out the school money. Whatever courses the teacher had studied in college, he taught to the older pupils. Reading, writing and arithmetic were taught to everyone. The person in a community who could not read or write was looked upon with contempt. Each person could go independently to the limit of his ability. If the pupil wished to go further than this common school edu¬ cation. lie could, at his own expense, go to an “academy town” where academies were located. The academies were regarded as an annex to the common school system and the Constitution of 1820 made it the duty of the legislature to help them, although they were under private control. These

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10 THE FOUR CORNERS Friends and alumni could perpetuate their names in no more permanent and ap¬ preciated way than by presenting; to the school pictures or statuary of real artistic merit to add to the beauty and cultural value of our surroundings. The student body and friends of the high school were made very happy recently to learn of two bequests made in the will of John Hunnewell, a native of Scar- boro. After leaving the bulk of his estate in a trust fimd to his two sisters, Mr. Ilun- newell provided for a number of charitable and educational gifts to various institu¬ tions, including our high school. One, a fund of $2,000, which will reach a total of $100,000 at maturity, was given to the Scarboro High School book fund; the other, a fund of $5,000, which will mature to $500,000, provides for assistance to high school students in securing a higher education. The income of both funds will serve a double purpose: half will revert to the principal and half will be available for use each year. When the funds become available, they will thus increase yearly by this wise plan until the annual revenue amounts to a considerable sum. No more worthy cause than education could engage the interest of persons of means, and the people of Scarboro should rejoice that one who came from this town should continue to display a practical con¬ cern in the place of his birth.