Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-03-30
for certain classes and Miss Archibald

ate departments, was committed to Miss
Emma Higley, former member of this
committee.
The work by all the teachers has been
faithfully and conscientiously done, and
the district is to be congratulated upon
having so faithful and capable corps of
teachers.
The selection of a principal to supply
the vacancy caused by Mr.. Mead's retire
community. Many applications have al
ready been made to your committee for
the position. \ mature man of decision,
intellectual strength, and a capacity for
imparting to others what he himself
knows, with no other business to engross
his attention than his school duties, for
which he should be abundantly remuner-
ated, is desirable. 1t remains to be seen
whether such an one can be obtained.
No other change that the committee is
aware OF is imminent. unless it should be
thought more careful attention to dis
cipine is required in the High school
room.
Your committee found that the school
house was much in need of repairs and
accordingly have expended S2S6.1S in
laying new floors, repairing inside blinds,
seats, window sash and in building a
closet for philosophical apparatus, also
for painting and oiling, S545.60 for re-
pairs on boiler and pipes to afford a
better control of the heat in the rooms,
Sl90.3S; for pointing up the walls and
cementing cellar floors. S5.54; in all,
Sl0l7.G7. Your committee were of the
unanimous opinion that these repairs
were imperative in order to preserve the
school building and prevent a greater
outlay which would have been occa-
stoned by any further neglect.
The committee pursuant to the vote of
the last annual meeting procured the at
tendance of Mr.. Ripley, musical in
structor from Boston, at an expense of
SIS. His labors were with the teachers
and schools and were highly appreciated.
1t resulted in an expenditure for music
books and charts of the sum of S33.S4.
Apparatus for the different rooms has
been purchased at an expense of about
S27. .93, For school books for the teach
ers and supplementary reading books
there has been expended S65.07.
The matter of supplementary reading
has received very generous attention from
the teachers and the results Justify the
expenditures in this department.
The teachers find the continuous teach
ing of physiology and hygiene in all the
departments an unsatisfactory feature of
the curriculum, but have attended to it
with fidelity.
Only once since the organization of the
school in connection with the Addison
County Grammar school, and that years
ago, had any catalogue or manual of tie
school been published. The strong col -
petition for tuition pupils occasioned
by the efficient management of the
schools at Vergennes, Bristol and in New
Haven in our county, as well as the con-
venience of and Importance to the resi-
dent patrons of the school, induced be-
lief that Il manual, annually published,
showing all that was material respecting
the school and its management, was adj
visable, and such a manual was issued
after considerable delay for which the
committee were not responsible. A hand
some cut of the school building was pur-
chased at an expense of S25 and the cat
alogues were printed by your townsman,
MIR. ThOrp, at an expense of S35. They
have been very thoroughly distributed in
the adjacent country.
The committee have held II formal
and as many more informal meetings
during the year, and subcommittee has
held two meetings at the school house
with the entire corps of instructors, for
the purpose of ascertaining the progress
made, the needs of the various depart
ments and for offering such advice as
they deemed important.
The teachers and janitor have been re-
quired to make daily reports (on blank
printed forms) of the temperature in their
respective rooms af the hours of 10 80
a. IN. and 3 p. m. These reports are on
file with the secretary of the committee
and are open to inspection by the pat
rOns of the school.
The committee have also required the
teachers to report to them about the
middle of each term the condition of the
work in their respective rooms and vari-
GUS other interesting matter pertaining
to the administration of their duties.
These reports are also on file.
The enforced suspension of the school
for four weeks last past, owing to the
prevalence in our midst of contagious
diseases, is much to be regretted, but
was unavoidable. Our school has not
been the only sufferer from this cause.
The school Is, however, again at work
and nearly all the scholars have returned
to their duties.
c. NJ. WILDs Sec'y.
Rev. A. Def. Palmer, superintendent
of schools for the town, spoke of the
work of the Graded school. 1t was ex-
cellent, he said, as shown by the exami-
nations at the close of the year. He ad-
vised those interested in the schools to
attend these examinations. He gave sta
tistics showing that but small propor-
ton of those in the High school had come
into 1t from the lower grades, and ex-
pressed the opinion that it was very de-
sirable that larger proportion of the
district scholars find their way into the
High school. He also.suggested charges
in the curriculum that would tend to
bring about this result.
The report of the auditors and also
that of the treasurer (Which is embodied
in the auditors report above) were ac-
cepted and adopted.
Then came the election of officers. The
old prudential cOmmittee-Geo. Ham