The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1903-06-03
The Class With Exception of a
Few Went Out Today.
Eighth Grade Commencement Exer.
DISCS are Declared OF
This Year.
NEW TEACHERS INSTALLED

All out few members of the grad
uating GLASS of the Paducah High
school. Numbering 81, went on a
STRIKE" this afternoon at the High
school building on West Broadway as
pred icted in The Sun several days ago,
as a result Of the treatment of their
teacher, Prof. O. A. Norvell. When
school was called at I O'Clock Princi-
pal Norvell found them all with hats
on ready to leave. Mr.. George Du-
Bots, one Of the members, delivered a
speech to Prof. Norvell, after which
with cheer the pupils made a break
for the hallway and were soon on their
way down town. Five or six remain.
ed at the building, but the others
marched down the street and attracted
a great deal of attention. They say
they may return to school tomorrow
and again may not
The crowd, bevy of pretty girls
and manly looking youths, called at
The Sun Office and stated that they
did not like the way their teacher has
been treated. One said that the first
thing that they noticed was that when
preparations were begun for commence
ment a few months ago, everything
was taken from the hands of Prof
Norvel and he had nothing to do with
it. Since then a great deal had been
done to annoy and insult him. 1t is
supposed taking authority in COM
mencement preparations from him was
after the boards decision to dismiss
him.
Today, one young man declared,
Prof. Norvell upon opening school
asked them if they would allow him
to resign now-to take a vote on
whether or not he should resign now,
before commencement, and in order to
keep him as long as possible and not
create any confusion, they voted
against it. This afternoon they made
themselves plain in the following
speech delivered by Mr.. Dubois:
Prof. Norsell,as a class we are will
ing to do anything that you think is
for the best. and the reason we did not
give our consent this morning was be-
cause we did not want to have any.
thing to do with your being retired
from the schools. II the question had
been asked. "How many are in favor
of retaining Prof. Norvell ?" Every
one would have responded in the afiir-
native.
Now as to your resigning before
commencement, we the members of the
graduating class of 1908 of the Padu-
cab High school, desire thus to express
our gratitude to Prof. Norvell our
principal. for remaining loyal to us
to the close of the term. We assure
you that we deeply appreciate YOUR
kindly thought of us and shall do our
best to show our appreciation of same.
Some OF us wish to use our diplomas
for entering other schools and we
want to say that it is an honor to have
enrolled with the faculty the name of
Prof. @. A. Norvell. We feel that
your action in not resigning last night
is something super-humsn, and we are
fearful IL great many of US had been
placed in your position we should
have thought more of ourselves than
of the pupils and would have resigned,
leaving them In the middle of their
work without head. "
Considerable interest and excite
ment were created by the young peo-
pie this afternoon as they marched
along the streets and the school tiou-
BILE in Paducah is now the talk of the
entire town.
The teachers and pupils seem to
have the sympathy OF every body, ana
the school board would find cold COM
fort in hearing everything that is said
about it. No better testimonial OF
the ability and popularity of Prof. Nor
veil could have been found than the
demonstration shown him by the grad
uating class this afternoon. The pu-
pills have gone to school to him for
,hraa vaars and vvara annarentlv mt