Sinking Spring High School - Imago Yearbook (Sinking Spring, PA)

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Reading. Pa.. October 8. 1931 Mr. Bert Reifsnyder Sinking Spring. Penna. Dear Friend Reifsnyder: REPORT OF SCHOOL VISITATION I visited your school on September 29. and desire to make the following report on my inspect.on. I was very favorably impressed with your school system. You erected a fine new addition to your building and your new organization is functioning effectively. As a board you deserve credit for taking the progressive steps in providing additional opportunities for your children. All your teachers are doing work, and there exists a fine spirit of co-operation among them. The next important step to take in the development of your system will be the preparation of a plan of co-ordination of the work in each field. I understand that your supervising principal and the teachers are now working on the same. After this is accomplished. you have an opportunity to develop an outstanding school system. There remain a few additional steps of development in the High School. These, you will, no doubt accomplish as fast as finances permit. Sinking Spring has taken a decided step forward educationally. Let me know whenever I can be of service to you. Very respectfully. A. F. Kemp. County Supt. of Schools SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS SECONDARY SCHOOL CLASSIFICATION Sinking Spring Borough Berks County Visited October 20. 1931 Reported October 27, 1931 Walter E. Hess The following Is a summary of the recommendations which ore made as a result of a visit by a representative of the Department, for the development of the Sinking Spring High School. In the pages following this summary will be found a more detailed statement relative to these recommendations and suggestions. which are made in accordance with the classification standards. I. Building and Grounds. The district is to be complimented upon their v activity in providing a school plant for the instructional needs of the community. With these facilities now at hand, efficient and effective school work can be done. A school building properly equipped, supervised and administered is one of the most valuable assets to a community. II. Equipment and Supplies. Tile equipment and supplies for the school have been very carefully and adequately provided. Additions of a ditto machine fo. teachers use in preparing outlines for the subjects they teach and cork bulletin boards for the rooms not already provided with them are two needs that, snould be supplied this year. The expenditure of $200.00 for science equip- ment and $450.00 for library books, etc. speaks very highly of the efforts and interests of the board of education In the welfare of the school. III. Program of Studies A very fine program of studies and class schedules have been worked out by the persons in charge. The fact that provision has been made to offer all subjects in the required Junior-senior high school curriculum is indicative of the efficiency of the supervisory and teaching staff. V. Supervision and Instruction. The supervisor)’ program and administrative practices as outlined by the principal are very commendable. Very creditable w'ork should be expected as a result of the operation of this program. The teachers visited presented demonstrations of very good classroom instruction. Some suggestions, such as additional pupil participation in the recitation. economical use of class time, diagnostic and remedial work and pupil guidance, were given the principal at the time of the visit. The employment of a certificated librarian is very commendable. VI. Teachers. B. Certification. The securing of a certificated teacher in shop would be an adjustment to make in the future. A part time teacher hired in conjunction with some other district might be secured. VIII. Pupil Load. The requirement of each pupil taking only four solid subjects each year is indeed a fine standard to adopt. These in connection with the special subjects will permit the pupil to concentrate on a few' subjects and thus become more proficient. The devoting of time to a few subjects will produce better results then using the same time over a great variety of subjects. IX. Records and Reports. A satisfactory system of records and reports are being developed. Walter E. Hess Supervisor Secondary Education Public Schools of Berks Countv, Pa. Office of County Superintendent Reading. Pa.. March 5. 1932. To Those Concerned:— This is to certify that I visited the Schools of Sinking Spring and found them in excellent condition. Superintendent Principal Harry E. Sowers deserves special commendation for being instrumental in building up a school system that ranks among the best in the county. Sinking Spring has a progressive Board of Education. Do not fail to keep the educational clock wound up. I am proud of Sinking Spring. Very' respectfully William A. Fricker. Asst. Superintendent

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Sinking Spring High School Placed on Accredited List of Secondary Schools in the State Sinking Spring High School received Stale recognition and was placed on the Accredited List of Secondary Schools of Pennsylvania during the past year. To receive this recognition is an honor to any cchool or community. In erder to receive this honor the school must meet all the standards for secondary schools. This includes 100 per cent certificated teachers, properly certified supervising principal, diversified curricula, minimum standard of equipment and apparatus, for science departments and other laboratory subjects, minimum standard for high school libraries, systematic personnel record system, thoroughly organized pre ram of studies, completely developed courses of studies, or curriculum, supervisors in all special subject'. Luch as art. music, and dental hygiene, properly certificated instructors in physical education, and a number of minor items. The local school has met all these standards and received very favorable comment upon the same. Following are copies of letters received from the State and County officials. The first letter is a statement of conditions existing at the time of the dating of the letter. LETTER I. May 17. 1929. Mr. A. F. Kemp Superintendent. Berks County Schools Reading. Pennsylvania Dear Mr. Kemp: This is to report my visit with you to the Sinking Spring Borough High School on May 8. 1929. We are pleased w’ith the general spirit of work in this school and the earnestness of both pupils and teachers in carrying out the school program. A check of the conditions prevailing in the school indicates that development is needed along the following lines: 1. The library facilities provided are inadequate for a school of this type. This inadequacy is in part due to the fact that additional mater-ills are need and also in part to the fact that for satisfactory use a library needs to b? carefully organized and administered. In a small secondary school it has been the practice to convert one of the classrooms into a library classroom. In other schools, where it has been found necessary to temporarily house the library in the various classrooms of the school, a central catalogue has been developed and books charged to the various rooms. 2. The physics equipment destroyed at the time of the fire has never been replaced. I am enclosing a copy of the SCIENCE MONOGRAPH which outlines the minimum physics equipment in a classified secondary school. 3. At the present time no teacher on the staff has certification for geography. This should be given the attention of the district. 4. The school needs maps and other materials so that the geography work can be carried out on a highly satisfactory basis. In this connection geography materials are also needed for th? library: 5. The teachers in the first six grades are providing art instruction for those grades. There is no definitely organized art program for grades seven and eight. I am enclosing a copy of a statement outlining a minimum art program. The art work of this school can best be carried out if the district can join with other districts in providing art supervision and teaching. C. There is an increasing demand for more complete and accurate personnel records, particularly in the secondary school. Whereas, in previous years it has oniy been necessary to have the scholastic records of the pupil, colleges now demand a complete personnel record. A record '•imi iar to that used in the Carnegie Study is being found very helpful in the various secondary schools. Copies of this record can be secured by writing to Doctor W. S. Learned. Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Education. New York City. 7. A soon ns the district finds it possible to do so. practical arts for both boys and girls should b? added to the program. 8. Tj meet the full requirements for Junior-Senior high school organization this school should have a program of practical arts as is suggested above. In developing this program, an additional teacher or the time of part-time teachers should be provided. As the school is organized at present the principal is carrying a rather heavy teaching load. Sincerely yours. William H. Bristow Assistant Director Secondary Education August 20. 1931 Subsequent letters give record of improvements and approvals. Mr. Alvin F. Kemp Superintendent. Berks County Schools Reading, Pennsylvania Dear Superintendent Kemp: This is to report my conference with Assistant Superintendent Strieker and Mr. Sowers. Supervising Principal at Sinking Spring, relative to the development of the program for the coming year. We are very much pleased with the set up as outlined by Mr. Sowers. For the coming year the school will meet full requirements in health and physical education, practical arts, fine arts, and guidance. It is unfortunate, of course, that a certificated teacher could not be found for the work in shop, but it is believed that this problem can be satisfactorily adjusted so that the work may be In charge of a certified teacher before the term 1932-33. V e are particularly gratified to note the development with regard to the library. Mr. Sowers reports that the library will aggregate the 1000 volumes for the coming year and that library instruction will be given to all pupils under the direction of the English teacher who has certification in this field. Commercial werk is also being introduced for the first time this year. Will you please convey to the Board our appreciation for the splendid progress which their school is making, and assure then of our desire to co-operate in every way that we can? Very truly yours. John F. Brougher Assistant Director Secondary Education

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Sitting, Left to Right - Ardell Moyer, Ruth Brubaker, Captain Dorothy Cassel, Eleanor Palthas-er, Florence Allen, Margaret Hawthorne Standing - Coach Paul Freed, Pearl Ott, Faculty Mgr. Louise Moyer, Elsie Moyer, Lillian Bal-thaser, Beatrice Hain, Prof. Harry Sowers, Sup. Principal Due to the loss or four varsity players through graduation last year. Mr. Freed, the coach, had a real problem on hand in developing a winning team. In order to do it, it was necessary to take Eleanor Bal-thaser from a guarding position and put her in a forward position, as well as find another forward. In doing this an offensive team had to be developed in place of a defensive team which played last year. The final varsity line-up was Eleanor Balihaser and Ruth Brubaker as forwards and Lillian Baltha-ser as a first string sub.; Dorothy Cassel as center, Ardell Moyer and Elsie Moyer as side centers, and Florence Allen and Margaret Hawthorne as guards, with Margery Cassel and Beatrice Hain as first string subs. However, in spite of the radical change which took place in the development of a team, the girls won five games out of twelve. The strongest opposition was found in Wilson High and Shillington High. From a comparative standpoint in terms of points, it was a draw since the local team and the visitors, or the •winners and losers both made 276 points. By graduation this year only one varsity member will be lost, Dorothy Cassel. There are high hopes of again putting a strong winning team on the floor by next year. Player Position Games Point E. Balthaser. 33. Forward 12 140 Ft. Brubaker. 33. Forward 12 83 E. Moyer. ’34. Forward 11 18 L. Balthaser. 35. Forward . 10 16 A. Moyer. 33. Side-Center 11 2 M. Freeman. 35. Center 10 2 D. Cassel. '32. Center 10 F. Allen. ’SS. Guard 12 M. Hawthorne. 34. Guard 1 M. Stover. '35. Center 4 M. Cassel, '35. Guard 2 B. Hain. '35, Guard 1 B. Binkley. '35. Guard 0 P. Lutz, ’33. Guard 2 S. S. H. 8 Visitors Oley 33 20 Wilson 14 28 Robesonia 25 24 Alumni 25 26 Wemersville 36 18 Womelsdorf 35 21 Wilson 10 23 Robesonia 17 29 Wemersville, 16 20 Womelsdorf 24 16 Shillington 19 24 Shillington 13 27 276 276