University of Southern Mississippi - Southerner Yearbook (Hattiesburg, MS)

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- EITP5 fur Uhr TQHIUP :mb Svrhnnl ALLENE MCCOLLUM COVINGTON COUNTY -lv 44 A S we go out into the rural communities to teach we are going to find that our school yards are bare and that many of the homes have no trees. By study and thought with co-operation on the part of the teacher and the people these may be remedied. We are familiar with the old adage that the people may be reach- ed through their childrenf' I-1ere's one place to try if there are those in the com- munity which cannot be reached in any other way. In our agriculture classes the trees indigenous to the farms and school yard may be studied. The pupils must be led to see the beauty and pleasure of having trees. They must be taught how to select the trees and transplant them. After the trees have been planted on the school yard and the result seen the pupils will take these to heart and begin practicing it in their own homes. In selecting these trees great care must be used. For the home as well as the school trees are Wanted Wl1iCl1 will give the most beauty and pleasure to the grounds and to the occupants. We do not want a tree whose branches are short and whose foliage does not stay on very long. On the other hand we want trees which have long spreading branches and thick foliage which stays on the tree a long time, if not all the time. And of course we want those trees which are long lived. Some of the trees which may be profitably used are maple, oak, mulberry, cedar, china and various others. Perhaps the china tree is of the quickest growth, and will be of service quicker than any of the others. There are quite a number of oaks which may be used successfully as well as the cedar and maple. These trees may be gotten mostly from the woods surrounding the home and the school. Of course the soil and conditions favorable to the growth of these must be studied. ALLENE McCOLLUM.

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Uhr Qlhaprl iixvrriaw BESSIE MCCANN HARRISON COUNTY M 1 VERY school morning from 10:45 to 11:15 we spend the most enjoyable half hour in the day. We meet at this time in the chapel for the chapel exer- clses. The meeting is presided over by the president, or in his absence, the 'vice- president. The devotional exercises, consisting of a song, a Bible lesson with com- ments, and prayer, are conducted by the gentlemen of the faculty, beginning with the President and Vice-President, then the head of each department. The remainder of the period is given over to business. First the faculty an- nouncements are called for, then the student announcements. In noother institution of the College is the College spirit made more manifest than in the chapel exer- cises. There is amutual understanding among the Normal College students, that every one has a right to his opinion and to the expression of such. Every student feels free to express his opinion, and is always sure of an appreciative hearing from the president. If any one feels in a humor for it, he tells a joke, if one loses a book or pencil, or any other valuable he announces it in chapelg if any one takes an inter- esting trip the students hear about it in chapelg if there is any general advice or re- proof to be given, the chapel is the place for itg if there is any business relating to student government, such as nominating for offices and vacancies, appointing election commissioners, reading and expounding the constitution, it is transacted in chapel. Occasionally, we have visiting ministers, politicians and educators in chapel. These visitors are made to feel at home. They are usually called on for a talk or lecture. These speeches are very interesting and instructive. On one day in the week a County Club is responsible for the program. These programs are rendered on Thursday morning of each week. They give the historical, geographical, and industrial features of the county they represent together with a discussion of the educational feature in which the county either leads or is lacking in. A map of the county is placed on the board upon which are located the principle towns, streams, and railroads. The remarkable thing about the ,fchapel exercises is that although no one is forced to attend, there is an average attendance of 9570 of the student body. We have excellent order, as a rule. These two facts are but manifestations of two of the College slogans, Co-operation, and Self-control. The student body has a strong regard for the Chapel period, and co-operate to make it both interesting and instructive. BESSIE McCANN

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Elnfluvnrr nf Zlmprnurh Srhnnl Mrnnnha Hpnn Ihr ignmv MAJOR C. MCDANIEL JONES COUNTY O EOPLE are beginning to think of the school today not as being one set, definite- ly-planned agency that Works alone for the betterment of the child but as working With other agencies to accomplish the desired result. 'i he home and the school are the most influential agencies in educating the child. Then the Work of one must be so administered that it will re-enforce the Work of the other. This Work- Lng together will cause the home to stimulate the school and the school to improve the ome. This is the case in improving the school-grounds because through their improvements the home surroundings will be made more beautiful. Such improve- ments as grading the yard, sodding it, arranging and setting trees and shrubs, plant- ing flowers, arranging and constructing of out buildings, Walks, and fences can be and need to be carried into the home in order to make it more inviting. Here is the place for the training of the sense of beauty. When the child enters school he seems to be fully alive to his environment. His senses are at their best, his mind inquisitive, and his interest keen in all things that surround him. He Wants to explore things and can grasp readily the ideas about the World of nature. He learns to appreciate the life of the open country, which is very necessary because those vvho follow agriculture must live in direct Contact With the great out-of-doors. One cause of pupils dropping out of school is that the Work is not connected with the life that they are to live. The Work 'fails in interest because it is not connected with home activities and does not serve to make home a better place to live in. One of the causes of desertion on the farm is the monotony or sameness of Work which leads to over-Worry. This could be greatly relieved if every boy and girl Would become inter- ested in the changing of nature, if he Would cultivate his taste for it, learn to enjoy its companionship, and through this be led to build a home in keeping With nature's art. The cost of such improvement is but little. This is the greatest cost and this is Well spent because there are so many lessons taught in doing the Work. Teams can be secured in the community to do the Work that require teams. Trees, shrubs, and flower seeds are plentiful and can easily be obtained in almost any district. It is best to take time to have a good plan and arrangement for the trees, and When one tree dies it should be removed, for if left standing the children will not be encouraged in setting out and caring for trees at home. Finally We have come to see that the teacher should be responsible for the material as Well as for the mental interests of the school. If the Walks are cared for in the school-yard, the child Will care for the Walks in their homes. If the schcol- yard is movvn when necessary, is kept free from ashes, Waste paper and other rubbish, the yard at home will be kept in the same condition. If the fences and gates, the trees and shrubs, and the school-garden be cared for in school, the ideas Will be carried into the home surroundings. This Work at school is Learning by Doing, which is the only sure Way to learn. MAJOR MCDANIEL.