Steele High School - Annual Yearbook (Dayton, OH)

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1894 STEELE IN RETROSPECT 1919 J. H. PA1N'1'1-111 QUARTER of a century has passed since Steele High School building was dedicated by Governor McKinley and by the yy- Q Board of Education to the youth of Dayton-a quarter of a ' ' century crowded with scientific, mechanical, commercial, and industrial changes. These changes are the manifestations of a great economic, sociological, and civic evolution. As educational re- quirements closely follow economic and social conditions, it follows that a standard of education which was well suited to needs of pupils in 1894 may be inadequate for their children in 1919. The curriculum, which was then almost entirely academic, has re- sponded to the public demands and now includes many branches of civil, commercial, 1na11ual, aesthetic, and physical education. Ample equipment has been provided, and a corps of trained specialists give instruction in these subjects, while social advisors and coaches direct the recreation and social activities of the pupils. These changes have 11.ever been radical but have been made after careful consideration of the actual needs of the school. It is not our function to go far afield ill educational experimenta- tion at public expense, but we hope to keep an open mind and to make use of all which has been tried and found suited to our needs and con- ditions. It shall be our purpose to make the curriculum synchronize with public needs in the future as it has done in the past. The standing of our graduates ill college, in business, and in. the community attest the efiiciency of the school work, a survey of our curriculmn, departments, enterprises and activities show its scope, a comparison of financial statistics proves the economy of its adminis- tration, and the increase in attendance manifests its popularity. Our Board of Education and Superintendent of Instruction have always been progressive a.nd ready to co-operate. They have kept our schools near the head of the educational procession. The free public school is a child of democracy. It represents demo- cratic ideas and ideals, and supplies the public requirements for education as the public feels their necessity. Steele High School is such a free public school. Its administration, its curriculum, its recreations, all its activities are democratic. It is administered on the hypothesis that its pupils are rational members of society. It is assumed that they have a sense of right and wrong, and that they can only grow in strength of character and civic independence by an exercise of discretion, judg- ment, will-power and self-denial. The individual is allowed all the lib- erty consistent with the interest of his fellow pupils. Individual per- sonal worth is the only shibolcth to public recognition. THE ANNUAL Page Thirteen

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J. H. PAINTER 1'l:lNc1r,u, 014' s'rr:El.E num SCIIOUI

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We hope that Steele High School has justified the faith of its founders. During the past twenty-five years the population of the city has doubled, while the high sehool enrollment has inereased six fold. There is now a greater demand among the business men for our grad- uates than ever before. Our former pupils are now the leaders in this rommunity and are the most ardent supporters of the high school. There are faults in the system, to be sureg mistakes there have been in the past and there will be mistakes ill the future, but we trust they will be less frequent and that the former mistakes will not be repeated, and that we may go on to greater and better things. me S, 'Q EE 3 v: rr 0 9 by QYPTON 0 l'uyc FO'llI'ff'f'71 'Flin ANNUA-xr,