Westbrook High School - Blue and White Yearbook (Westbrook, ME)

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Westbrook High School '- 4 w' 'qs 27 Commercial COMMERCIAL COURSE VALUES The commercial course is valuable to several classes of pupilsg principally to those who desire an introductory training to fit them for employ- ment in the business world, to those who are pre- paring to enter higher schools of accountancy or business administration, and to those who intend to go into business for themselves. The college student would find shorthand a great help in his lecture courses and often typewriting proves to be an asset convertible into money to pay some of his expenses. Even in the home a knowledge of accounts, an acquaintance with raw material and manufactured products, such as food and cloth- ing, may often be very useful. In short, there is no one who will not sooner or later find a practi- cal use for much that forms the content of any broad commercial course. After completing such a course in the high school, pupils who have availed themselves of the opportunities offered occupy many kinds of positions in business offices and have procured habits which will be valuable to them in any vocation. The following are some of the qualities of a good office employee which are practiced continu- ally by students in a commercial department: 1 Punctuality in arriving at office and in finishing work. 2. Neatness in person, clothing and work. 3. Courtesy. 4. Swiftness in hearing, seeing, and obey- ing. 5. Concentration. G. Self-reliance. 7. Accuracy. 8. Dependability. 9. Initiative. 10. We all know what these qualities are but, if we do not possess them or, if possessing them, we fail to put them into practice, what good will they ever do us? And so, at the beginning of our course, we are taught to cultivate and practice these essentials, so that'they will have become habits, by the time we are ready to enter an office. Loyalty. Department The teachers are continually fighting tardiness. It is insisted that we be punctual in arriving at school and in attending our classes, for we must utilize every minute of our six short periods. If we were working in an office it would be necessary that we arrive promptly in order that we might complete our work on time, and so we are form- ing the habit of punctuality. Neatness, as we all know, contributes much to a person's appearance and in like manner to his work. When we present ourselves at an office to apply for a position, one of the first things which the prospective employer notices is our personal appearance. But, even tho we are neat in person and clothing and our work is untidy we shall never be an asset to any office. In the book- keeping class ten points are deducted from our rank for erasures or for untidy books. Courtesy is a quality which should be practiced faithfully in all of our daily work. It shouldn't be necessary to make a special effort to be cour- teousg it should be a habit. When you enter an office and are greeted courteously by an office girl, doesn't it immediately make a good impression on you? Courteous letters are an asset to any firm and often large business deals depend upon the l'etters written in connection with them. Letter- writing has much attention in our English depart- ment and courteous speech is practiced or should be practiced in our everyday recitations and con- versations and in -all our contacts. In the commercial department we are continu- ally working to acquire two things, speed and accuracy. In bookkeeping, typewriting, short- hand and commercial arithmetic, these two words form our motto. In our bookkeeping we first learn the principles and then we have to apply them. When applying them we first work slowly with the idea of accu- racy continually before us, but after we have acquired this quality, we work to attain speed. It is much the same in typewriting, shorthand, commercial arithmetic, and office practice. The first part oi our shorthand course is devoted mostly to the formation of letters and words and

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26 The Blue e- white Freshmen in this course put in 160 minutes of shop and 160 minutes of Mechanical Drawing per week. Their shop work is half wood-working and half forging and sheet-metal work. The Sophomores put in 160 minutes of Machine Shop and 160 minutes of Mechanical Drawing per week. Juniors have 200 minutes of Mechanical Drawing, 480 minutes of Machine Shop work, and 270 minutes of Pattern Shop work per week. Seniors have 200 minutes of Mechanical Drawing and spend 780 minutes per week in the machine shop. For Mathematics these students take Algebra, Arithmetic, Geometry, Industrial Arith- metic and Industrial Physics. The last two named are taken the last year of school and deal entirely with Industrial Probl'ems. There has been one change in the teaching staff of the Industrial Department this year. Charles Boise, formerly employed by the Knowlton Machine Co., has been hired to take the place of Elmer Lord in the machine shop. Mr. Boise shows a very extensive knowledge of modern machine methods, and has proven a very popular teacher, both with the students and with the other teachers. Machine work has been accomplished rapidly under his supervision and several new pieces of work will be turned out before the end of the year. Several advanced machinery blue-prints are being made in the Mechanical Drawing room. This department has advanced rapidly in the past two years. RALPH F. PRIDE, '2'7. MACHINE SHOP The Sophomores and Juniors have continued in the regular course of Machine Shop work this year. The Sophomores are taught the care of machines and take simple turning jobs, such as screw-blanks, screw-threads, and paper-weights. The Juniors take up more advanced work, such as screw-clamps, screw-jacks, and machinist's vises. The screw-jacks and vises are given to the stu- dents making them for the cost of the material used. The cost of the small vise made by juniors is 32.25 or about one-fourth of the retail price at the stores. The Seniors have spent most of their time this year on new work. Work has been continued on the six wood-turning lathes started last year and it is hoped that they will soon be finished. We are also making seven small hand Emery Grinders. Several new things, such as angle-irons, have been made for the shop and these are very useful. Some of the Seniors have made the large swivel- base machinist vises, which cost them 34.00. RALPH F. PRIDE, '27. PATTERN SHOP As we know, the bodily muscles will not respond without the given stimuli from the brain. In like manner neither would the machine shop function without the pattern departmentg for nearly everything machined in the lower shop had once to be patterned in the upper shop. Here, the usual patterns are constructed, and in addition, various parts of a speed lathe, six of which are nearing completion. The machines used for this purpose are here listed: the circular saw, two planers, a jointer, surfacer, and C about the most importantj a lathe. Each bench is equipped with all the hand tools necessary for making patterns. When the six new speed lathes have been completed, the pattern shop will lack nothing. Mr. Alden has lately added to the equipment an electric hand router and shaper for fillet work and moulding. Recently a blower was installed to provide for the removal of all the shavings, sawdust, etc., thrown off from the machines. This, besides giving more room for the workers, aids greatly in the work of the janitor in his daily cleaning. The patterns as mentioned above, go to the Jordan foundry to be moulded and cast. The boys, to better understand the use of their pat- terns, devote one afternoon of every year in watching the men mould and pour. At the end of the year, the boys are obliged to mould some of their own constructions to test their accuracy. Pattern making is the last of woodworking of any kind that is done in the Industrial course during the four years. HENRY TEAGUE, '28.

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28 The Blue ff white we practice them for accuracy. The second part is devoted to phrasing and the omission of letters and words for the sake of speed. In typewriting we first master the keyboard and then practice to acquire speed. Most of the commercial arithmetic course is devoted to short methods and time-sav- ing principles. It is the same in ofhce practice, where all kinds of time-saving devices and ma- chines are being introduced. None of the above mentioned qualities can be actually acquired unless we concentrate. The high school teachers are rapidly curing mind wandering by calling upon the pupil quickly to recite, and the pupil who is aroused upon hearing his name spoken becomes suddenly aware that he knows nothing about what is going on. Lack of concentration on our work causes many mistakes, sometimes very serious ones, which deduct from rather than add to neatness, speed and accuracy. Self-reliance and initiative should go together, for anyone who has initiative is usually self- reliant. The teachers are evidently very anxious that we attain these two qualities for problems which demand initiative, and the power to think things out are continually confronting us. In an office we must be self-reliant, for .,we may often be left to ourselves with no one to give directions, and we should make it one of our chief aims to bother those with whom we may be working as little as possible for they may have their own work to do. Dependability and loyalty should also go together, for how can we depend on anyone who isn't loyal? Both of these qualities can be easily practiced in our everyday life. We should make it a habit to go to school every day and not to stay at home because of a slight pain or a mild storm. We should also go with our lessons prepared so that the teachers can depend upon us to recite. If, after we have secured a position in an office, we fail to appear two or three days of the week, how can anyone depend on us? In an office just as at school we shall have a certain amount of work to do each day and if we fail to do it one day, we must do it the next, so, why not be loyal to our school' or office and do each day's work faithfully as it comes? Perhaps this is enough to show the value of a commercial course, as a preparation for post- school' life. The business world is advancing and with progress comes the great need for increasing knowledge preparation commensurate with this progress. The future demands an intelligent force of professional and business people of education, culture and experience. EDITH M. ELWELL, '2'7. DALTON ADDING MACHINE A Dalton Diploma of proficiency is awarded to each student who succeeds in adding a test column, which the Dalton Adding Machine Com- pany provides, by touch, in less than eighty seconds. If the time recorded is one minute or less, the student becomes eligible for membership in the Delta Alpha Mu Society, and the insignia, a gold pin, is presented with the Diploma. The following students succeeded in either the certificate, or both certificate winning and pin last year: Seniors Pupils Anderson, Louise, certificate Chick, Louise, certificate Crawford, Laura, certificate Jordan, Grace, certificate and pin Larravee, Cora, cetrificate and pin Mushreau, Helen, certificate and pin Phaneuf, Josephine, certificate and pin Reece, Harry, certificate Roberts, Emma, certificate Robichaud, Louise, certificate and pin Rocheleau, Jeannette, certificate and pin Turner, Elsie, certificate and pin fuiiiors A Elwell, Edith, certificate and pin Last year Mr. Wigon, Sales Manager of the Dalton Adding Machine Company in this district, offered two prizes of 356.00 and 54.00, respec- tively, to the students who succeeded in running a test list, furnished by him, in the shortest period of time. Louise Robichaud won the first prize and Josephine Phaneuf won the second.