Windsor Locks High School - Herald Yearbook (Windsor Locks, CT)

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THE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD 23 GRADUATION EXERCISES. SALUTATORY AND ESSAY. Members of the Board of Education, Mr. Harrington, Members of the Faculty, Barents, Friends, and Schoolmates, we appreciate your interest in us in coming here to listen to our graduation exercises and in behalf of the graduating class of nineteen hundred and twenty-five, I extend to you a most sincere and hearty welcome. Modern Efforts for Better Citizenship. In the last few years people have begun to realize more and more the necessity for better citizenship. After the revelation of dishonesty and inefficiency on the part of some of our high officials last year, public opinion demands greater loyalty on the part of future citizens. J. G. Holland has expressed this thought in the following lines from his poem entitled “Wanted:” “God give us men. A time like this demands Strong minds, great hearts, true faith, and ready hands; Men whom the lust of office does not kill; Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy; Men who possess opinions and a will; Men who have honor,—Men who will not lie.” But how are we going to fill the demand for better citizens? It is only through our schools that we may hope to meet this need. Many people are devoting their time and effort to the study of better citizenship and are continually introducing new methods and plans in the schools to bring about the desired result. Massachusetts has passed a bill providing that “in all elementary and high schools civics shall be taught for the purpose of promoting public service and a greater knowledge thereof and of fitting youth morally and intellectually for the duties of citizenship.” A few months ago, a Home Lighting Contest was held in all the schools of America. Scholarship prizes were awarded to some of the winners. The purpose of this contest was to teach pupils the proper kind and arrangement of lights in their homes. In this way home conditions are improved, and a better environment created, so that there is an incentive to the child to use his opportunities of education; for edu¬ cation begins at home. Health and Welfare organizations are also doing their utmost in training pupils in the responsibilities of citizenship in regard to the preservation of neaitn and the prevention of disease. In the year 1U22-23 an oratorical contest on the Constitution was held. Over 8,000 orations were prepared by students. The purpose of this contest was to promote good citizenship and to induce an intensive study of tne Constitution. Let me quote President Coondge in his speech at the final meeting of tne First National Contest, held at Wash¬ ington: lhe National Oratorical Contest on the Constitution represents the most ef¬ fective method of enlisting the interest of the young men and women of America in tne study of our governmental institutions. t his year there were seven winners of priz¬ es in the contest and the winning orations were published in the leading newspapers ot the country. Hundreds of principals all over the coun¬ try are organizing the children into school government and giving them public duties which they can perform. Charles Wilson, Principal of the Avondale Public School, Cincinnati, says, “the country took over education as a means to preserve the Union. How are you going to keep the union alive unless you have practice in self-govern¬ ment ? ” There is one thing that we must teach our future citizens if we would have them become good citizens and that is the evils of racial hatred. This hatred between races is not a natural trait. Children do not have it, but it is the older people who put this idea of difference in classes into their minds. The school people who are looking for¬ ward to a “more perfect union” in regard to the foreigners are not taking sides on the immigration question. They believe that as we are all here we must put our inter¬ ests together, stop hating each other and look for those qualities in the other fellow that we can respect. It is impossible to have a “more perfect union” until we under¬ stand each other.

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22 THE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD CLASS POEM. The time has come for us to part From our beloved schoolhouse on the hill, Within our breasts there glows an un¬ known thrill, Tho’ we leave with an aching heart. Before us lies the world’s vast plain On which we step to find our destined stand, To use our high school course, we demand, That four years have not been spent in vain. Foresight, thou shouldst be with us at this hour, We have need of thee now, as ne’er before, Shield us through struggles ’til we gain power, And be our guide forevermore. As all have done, who’ve gone before, We bid farewell to our schoolmates dear, With whom we’ve worked for many a year; One word we leave to inspire you more: There’s wealth for you in the years spent here. There’s wealth in your fond associations, And the retaining of these recollections Will be your strength in struggles drear. We’ve succeeded in reaching our longed- for goal, And soon to more arduous tasks we’ll arrive. But we’ll always remember “Not how much, but how well.’’ Was the motto of the Class of ’25. George Chesnalevich, ’25.

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24 THE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD A government is what the people make it. If the government is bad it is because the people are bad. Good people make a good government. So it is up to us to edu¬ cate our future citizens so that they will be fully prepared to do their duty to their country as leaders of the land. Lincoln once said: “I view education as the most important, the most vital service we as a people can engage in, duly to ap¬ preciate the value of our free govern¬ ment.” Arlene Hancock, 25. -(o)- HISTORY OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM AND VALEDICTORY. Sixty-four years after the founding of the first English Colony, Governor Berke¬ ley of Virginia, in his repoit to the King, wrote that he was giad there were no puu- iic schools in the colony. How queer such a statement would sound to-day from one of our Governors, when we priue ourselves on our system of public schools. Berkeley’s ideas, however, were not to prevail, for the Virginian Colony was de¬ sirous of educating its people in order to promote self-government. Ihe geograph¬ ical conditions hindered the colony in establishing schools, but the eagerness of the people conquered these obstacles anu they built schools according to the plan of the Colonies of Massachusetts and Connecticut. This was a provision that in every town of lifty householders, an ele¬ mentary school was to be established, and in every town of one hundred household¬ ers, a grammar school was to be built. In this way public schools flo urished in all the colonies. This system of public schools gave an opportunity to secure an educa¬ tion, to the wage-earner’s child, as well as to the rich man’s child. After the Revolutionary War, the Ordi¬ nance of 1787, for the government of Western lands, provided that ‘‘religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of educa¬ tion shall be encouraged.” Hereafter, when states were made out of this West¬ ern land each town was to preserve one section for school purposes. As years went by, in order to encour¬ age a broader sense of education, each state was to preserve two sections. By the Law of 1906, in the admission of the state of Oklahoma, the proceeds from the sale of public lands were used for school purposes. Everywhere education was en¬ couraged since it was very necessary for a democratic form of government to have an educated citizenship. The school proposition soon became too large for the National Government and so it was placed in the hands of the several states. The states, although they have general supervision, have placed the di¬ rect administration of schools in the hands of the local communities. For this reason there is a great deal of variety in the or¬ ganization and management of the schools. In rural communities the town or county is divided into school districts and schools are built according to the size of the dis¬ trict. The management of the schools in most cases, is in the hands of a School Board. There is also a form of State Control giving the state, authority of school man¬ agement by means of a board, superintend¬ ent or supervisor. At first the rural schools were far in¬ ferior to those of the city but now they are almost on a par with city schools be¬ cause of the great improvements made in our educational system together with better methods of communication and transportation. At present our school system has a very high standard both in primary and sec¬ ondary grades. Secondary schools have in¬ creased in number since people have realized the great value of trained minds. Everywhere the business world requires that its employees have at least a high school education. To-day boys and girls in the high schools are taught, not only the fundamentals of education, but also the principles of citi¬ zenship and responsibilities which they will have in their own communities. The schools also teach individuals how to use their leisure time to the advantage of body, mind, and spirit. Students learn how to co-operate with their classmates, and teachers, and are thus enabled to understand and to work with others when they leave school to take up their life work. Members of the School Board and Mr. Harrington:— We, the Class of 1925, thank you for your interest in our education and your assistance in our activities.