The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-05-05
Eighth Grade Gradua,lons.
a The shiawassee School Journal.

From The Shiawassee School Journal
In planning for the eighth grade grad
uation exercises throughout the county,
| would recommend that the teachers
having pupils who completed the exam
nation in February, or who intend to
complete it in May, should set these
seniors at work at once upon their
parts for the graduation exercises. If
any of these pupils fail 10 pass in May,
they will give their parts on the pro-
gram just the same, and will do so as
Junior pupils. twill be altogether too
late after hearing from the May exam
nations to prepare these programs.
would not advise having any other
pupils of the school take part in these
exercises as rule, as think this event
should be made rather exclusive and
something to be looked forward to, and
striven after, by the pupils of the lower
grades; besides, the program should
not be made too long and tiresome: but
where there are not enough seniors to
do the work, it would be good plan to
call in those who will finish the course
next year to take part in the program,
and then those would-be graduates who
happen to fail in May will not feel so
much out Of place; besides, this will give
the juniors training for next year.
Each pupil should as far as possible
and apparent, be assigned part on the
program according to his ability or
particular liking. Some pupils lecite
we'll, others can write a very nice essay,
and others can write and deliver an
Grafton. These, together with music
and an address, where it can be pro-
vided for, should comprise the program
aside from presenting the diplomas.
As to the subjects for essays and ora
tons, pupils OF this age are hardly able
to write on abstract topics. | should
assign such subjects as they have be-
come familiar with in their text books
and the books from the school library.
History and geography have many sub
jects, such as Washington, Lincoln,
Slavery, The War With Spain, Com
merce, Mining, etc. AS far as possible
will see that some one is engaged for
the address. If any teachers have any
one in mind, however whom they can
get to give the address, | should be
very glad to have them do so.
1t will not be necessary to hold these
exercises on the last day of school, nor
even during the last week. should
like to set the dates for them all, so that
no two will occur at the same time. as
l hope and expect to attend them all;
and probably shall, in majority of
cases, present the diplomas. | think
they should occur between the first and
the seventeenth of June. The teachers
should look after the matter of suffi-
cient music.
The exercises should be held in the
most advantageous aad commodious
place possible for all concerned; and,
unless there is good and serious objec-
ton. should be pleased to have the
following groups of teachers plan to
have their exercises together, working
together in making general arrange
ments for music and place of holding:
Alta Colby, Cornelia Polhemus and
Alonzo Ram; +. f. Larrabee, Flora
Harvey, Jennie Fuller and Arthur
Warner; Ida Haskin, Elizabeth Lignian,
Nellie Brokaw and S. w. Beelby; F. M.
Wimple, F. E. Frederick and Frank
Pasco; Mabel Wrigley, Lucy Rekart and
Charles Jordan; Lizzie Kenney, Maude
Blakeslee' and Helen Pack; Howard
Slocum and Thomas Mears; Grace
Mccullough, Mabel Reed, Eta Turner
and teacher at Hazelton No. 6; Mary
Houghton, l.. j. Kline and j. II Clark;
Amy Requa and Maude Beardsley; Or
pha Jacques, Elizabeth Chaffin and
James f. Agnew; Blanche McQuiston,
Pearl Sawyer and teacher at Rush No.
5; Mayme Odell and teacher at Fairfield
No. 4 and at Fairfield No. L; Anna Glass;
man, Lottie Whitaker and Eva Ed
wards; etc.
The above arrangement into groups
is not necessarily binding, of course;
and in several instances may not be the
best arrangement possible for different
localities. l hope that any teacher who
has been omitted in the above will pay
no attention to that, but will enter
heartily into the plans in his or her To-
cality. 1t is hardly possible for me at
present to include all the teachers who
will have eighth grade graduates. The
groups of schools are given more to in
dicate to the teachers the general plan
so that we may work in harmony, than
to specify definite arrangements.
As soon as the teachers of any To-
cality have their arrangements partly
they should let me know so
that we may fix the date for the exer-
cises. - ,ss::gs - GA - 5MM
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