The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-06-29
Annual Report Of County superlntsnd-
ent Geo. n, Dixon.
R1pawAY, PA. juno s, We.

county for the school year ending June 5,
1876, beg leave to report as follows:
Educational advancement during the
year in this county has been decidedly
gratifying to its patrons and friends.
Teachers and directors have shown much
earnestness in the discharge of their du-
ties. The educational sentiment is quite
intelligent and active, and high degree
of cooperation has been manifested.
NEW SCHOOL BUI1DINes.
Ridgway district erected fine school
house at Wilmarth; Benzinger at Rath-
bun; and at Centreville, by Fox district,
was built beautiful and commodious
structure for graded school, consisting of
two departments, and furnished the rooms
in praiseworthy manner. The building
is one of the "prides' of our county, and
it indicates high degree Of educational
enterprise for the people who planned the
work and pushed it forward to compile
ton. Three (3l new schools were started
elsewhere in the county, but the buildings
in which they were placed were not en-
tirely new; however, they were quite suit
ably arranged, and in every case comfort
able. The school buildings throughout
the county are excellent, with few excep-
tions, and a majority of them are supplied
with patent desks. The grounds are suffl.
ciently ample, and generally well supplied
| will, h,,,1 o,I 81, do ,,,b;
into many grounds water is brought, and
in some instances beautiful plants are
collected about the school houses by the
teacher and the pupils. The schootrooms
are decorated with notices, and, SEVER
greens grow in abundance in close prox-
unity, teachers never fail to use them in
weaving pleasant designs of Ornamental
ton, with which they render exceedingly
attractive and cheerful their respective
places. The brick school building at st.
Marys was partitioned, so as to make
four rooms. The improvement was
laudable one, and, since the division,
four teachers have been employed. Two
cf the rooms were furnished with approved
furnature. Excellent repairs were made
upon the school grounds at Ridgway.
NEW BUILDINGS NEEDED.
There is pressing demand for build
ing in Bensinger ample to accommodate
about one hundred scholars. The one
now in use, which Is situated In the bor-
ough Of st. Marys, is by far too small and
is in nowise suitable. 1t is hoped that
the Benzinger directors, who are fully
aware of what Is needed, will Immediately
erect new building or reconstruct the
old one, or in some way provide proper
rooms for the scholars mentioned. The
building used for a graded school at Ben
excite is not properly arranged-in short,
it never was intended to serve the purpose
of graded school, and, as Benezette is
quite a large village and increasing in
size, it is expected that ere long two
story school house will be erected at that
place. AT Medix Run, in Benezette,
new school house Is needed to take the
place Of the old one now In use, at
Brandy Camp, in Horton, q new school
house is very much needed to take the
place of the very dilapidated structure
now used for school purposes. AS the di-
rectors are men of enterprise, I have no
doubt but that the old building will be
vacated soon, and new one, suitable In
all respects, erected. 1t is believed, too,
that the present one is not properly located
At Weedville, in Jay, the school building
is somewhat antlquated, and new one
will be needed soon. Whistletown,
Laurel Mill and Gardner, in Ridgway, need
better school buildings. Fox will soon
be called upon to build for the Mountain
school, a private dwelling being now in
use there for school purposes,
APPARATUS.
About twenty-five of our schools ate
without the necessary school apparatus.
Milestone has set us an example worthy
Of emulation by other townships. Her
school rooms are well supplied with
charts, MAPS, globes, cubic blocks, &C.,
and her text books are uniform.
SCHOOL Bootts.
Our greatest drawback is the want of
properly graded series of school books;
but the subject has been agtated SO much
at educational meetings and on other &C.
casions, that expect to be able to report
better state of affairs soon. There can
be little progress where the text boVks in
a school are of infinite variety.
sCHooLs.
There aro sixty-four schools In the
county, and In them are taught all the
branches required by law, while in many
of them 'the higher branches
music and drawing, receive much atten.
tion. There are five graded schools in the
county. They are located at st. Marys
-four tsachers), Ridgway flour teachers),
Wilcox (three teachers), Centreville 1.-TWO
teachers), and at Benezette two teach
ers). A hindrance to our progress OF
considerable moment is the too frequent
change of teachers. Ninety-six teachers
were employed in the year to teach our
sixty-four schools.
TEACHERS.
We have more applicants for schools thai
formerly; hence we are able to secure
better teachers. l am gradually raising
the standard and will soon he able IN re-