William Chrisman High School - Gleam Yearbook (Independence, MO)

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Q..-.-.-so-:nw-:zz-v -: -:.-:--7- -5.....j::.j:.f:a1f?:vv:nna.f-3-3,-:cl EUGENE B STREET Supermtendent of Schools Page Thzrteen

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Our School System At this particular time when Independence is celebrating its hundredth anniversary, it is very fitting to look back and see the progress education has made in our city. It can truly be said that the Independence school sjystem has kept pace with modern progress. In 1897 there music and art supervisors. In 1904 there were eighteen approved high school units. Gradually we have increased and built upon what we had. To the four original schools have been added .the Benton, Bryant, McCoy, Chrisman, Alton, new Junior H1gh, and addi- tions to the Gilpin school. The increase in pupils and teachers in the last ten years has been very marked. In 1917 there were 2666 school children. Today, 1927, there are 4298, an 1n- crease of 1632 children. In 1917, 77 teachers were at work, while in 1927, 131 are engaged, an increase of 54 teachers. The units of high school credits offered have been increased from 18 to 41 1-2. About twenty thousand free books were issued this last year in all schools up to the eighth grade. There is a unit library in every room in every grade building. The Wil- liam Chrisman library is far above average with fifteen hundred volumes and students have free access to our city library of twelve thousand volumes. The school boasts two ideal play- grounds, one at the Alton school and the other the Chrisman athletic field. To date, this field has cost 38000, and plans are being made to expend a great deal more on it within the next few years. Class-room equipment in Independence schools is rated high. This includes maps, charts, laboratory equipment, etc. A splendid reading program for the ward schools has been worked out. The course of study is so arranged that a child can be transferred from one school to another and take up his studies at the same place in each text book. The schools receive much cooperation from the Parent-Teachers Associations. At the head of the Independence council, or group combining all Parent-Teachers, is Mrs. George Randall. Independence has had as superintendents of the system such men as Mr. W. F. Bahlmann, Mr. W. L. C. Palmer, and Mr. E. B. Street, who has been superintendent here for the past six years. Mr. George S. Bryant was principal of the high school for fourteen years. Following him Mr. William Hifner was acting principal for one year, Mr. E. B. Street from 1915 to 1918, Mr. D. C. Elliot from 1919 to 1921, Mr. R. B. Finley from 1922 to 1924 and Mr. J. N. Han- thorn for the past three years. Because the leaders of our school system have been such men as these, and because on our Board of Education have been men and women with the highest ambitions for the advancement of education, our schools have steadily moved forward. In spite of the fact that only recently have we added new buildings for the housing of our school children, the expansion problem will soon confront us again. At present there are only three vacant ward-school rooms. In two schools the office is being used as a class-room, and the Ott school borrows one room from Junior High because of crowded conditions. There is practically no overhead cost in the Independence school system, for there are only four teachers in our system who do not meet classes regularly for full-day work. These are Mr. Street, super- lntendent of schoolsg Mr. Hanthorn, principal of High School, Mr. A. C. Morris, principal of Junior High, and Miss Ramsey, principal of Columbian school. Independence has many more children to take care of in its schools than other cities of the same population throughout the state. The population of this city is 11,686 and we take care of 4245 children. One city wi-th a population of 12,000 takes care of only 2492 children and another with a population of 10,000 takes .care of only 2800 children. This means that In- dependence has the problem of fourteen to seventeen hundred more children with practically the same amount of money as other towns her size. It is indeed a real problem and one which requires united effort on the part of all those trying to solve it. We are justly proud of our schools and proud of the progress they have been constantly Tilakmg- The faculty is working in unison and this means a great deal to the progress of any Syslem' The motto Of 'Che STOUD, if W9 may judge by the cooperation which Mr. Street sa' s '- ' ' as . . y he ls Tecewlng, might be this, We are not thinking of the best school, but are thinking and working for the best school system were four schools in our city, Columbian, Noland, Ott, and Young. As early as 1897 there were Page Twelve

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.:.EZ-x Page Fourteen JAMES N. HANTHORN Principal of William Chrisman High School