Shattuck School - Shad Yearbook (Faribault, MN)

Page 17 text:

Q? G lu i W l C O r I W. m THE Scnool YEAH IN some respects the year just completed has been a rather unusual one in the annals of Shattuck. It certainly was unusual with respect to the continued cold during the winter months. The frequent snow storms, heavy even for Mirinesota, were incidents which will long be remembered hy those of our student body from warmer climes than this one. The epidemic of influenza which settled down upon the school after the Christmas Holidays was another feature of the year that will be recalled by many of the boys as one of the less pleasant features of the year just closed. Before Christmas we were congratulating ourselves that we had apparently escaped the Hu which was so prevalent south of us and was causing the early dismissal for the Christmas vacation of many schools and colleges. When we closed before Christ- mas we had only one boy in the school infirmary, but on our return after the Holidays, the prevalence of influenza in the school assumed rather serious proporf tions. For nearly two months we had from twenty to twentyffive boys daily in the infirmary, and a similar number convalescing. The experience was, of course, not pleasant to those who were undergoing it, but I am mentioning it in this survey of the school year because it seems to me that we came out of what might haxe been a serious situation, most fortunately, only one serious case developing as an after affect of the influenza, and this case has now made a complete recovery. The thing that pleased us all, however, was to note the splendid way in which the boys as a whole met the situation. They accepted the discomfort of being ill with good grace, and got back into the harness cheerfully as soon as the doctor per- mitted it. The work missed was made up in almost every case most promptly. and the scholarship of the school suffered very little from absences, which in the aggregate amounted to a pretty large number of days. In spite of the time lost by so many boys, and the consequent disorganization of class work, I think I am right in the assertion in which all of our faculty concur, that we have never had a better year so far as the school work is concerned, that the situation of the boys with respect to their studies has never been more satis' factory as the year draws to a close, than is the case this year. Another thing that marked this year as different from preceding years was the fact that the spring vacation was omitted. This was done in accordance with a feeling that the spring vacation had a demoralizing rather than a good effect upon the school life and work, a feeling which seemed to be shared by a considerable majority of parents of the boys who voted on this question last spring. It would be interesting to know whether the parents' vote as a whole would be the same this year after trying the plan for one year of having no spring vacation. Of course, the boys in the school would like very much the relief of a week or two in the middle of the long winter term, but I think even the boys themselves will concede, now that it is over, that it was not such a long stretch from Christmas to June as they feared it might be, and that the attitude and spirit of the school were never better than they have been this year. I am convinced that this was partly due to the fact that there was no interruption of the school work and discipline during the winter term. There is no doubt that the work of the athletic and military departments was further advanced by the opening of the spring season than would have been possible had we had a vacation just at the time when it was possible to begin our outdoor activities. I am very glad of this opportunity to assure the members of the class of 1929 that we feel that much of the fine spirit of the school this year should be credited to them. I cannot recall a year in which we have had a finer cofoperation on thc part of seniors in the school as a class organization and as individuals. The seniors as a whole set a fine example to the' school in the matter of obeying school regu' lations and requirements themselves, and in insisting that the underformers do the same thing. I am sure that the members of the Shattuck class of '29 can well look back upon their senior year with pride and pleasure. I feel that the year was a most successful one in the face of certain trying circumstances, in large part because the Seniors helped to make it so. QAST-in-Skma I

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