Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1908-06-10
RURAL scHooL IMPRovEslENT
Something Of the Work In Some cf
the Schools Of Oconee.

I6tOuhuS dI DOuuty LdHu anu ttICu-
land. The trustees of these schools
in response to suggestions made In
our article, which appeared In The
Courier short time ago, have had
the grounds sodded In Bermuda
grass, which in year or two will
present q most attractive scene of
lyerdant beauty. Miss Bertie Smith,
who had charge of the Bounty Land
school last winter, and few of the
school girls, wee on hand Friday
afternoon when the work was done,
/ and set violets on each side OF the
broad walk. There was only one of
the trustees present when the work
was done, one being in Ill health
and the other having made plans for
other work, the time not having been
previously agreed upon. But we had
their hearty approval, and the one
trustee and quite a number of other
men and boys of the community in
about three hours time accomp lished
a work, the result of which our COM
munity will long be proud Of. &
BY special invitation of Mr.. and
Mrs. Louis Lay, Miss Perritt, who
taught the Picket Post school last
winter, and the writer, spent Friday
night at their home and met the
trustees of that school Saturday to
arrange plPu5 for making Improve
ments on the school grounds. 1t
should be done at once, so without
further procrastination two trustees,
Mr.. Lay and Mr.. Tollison, and three
or four boys soon had the grounds
| sodded with grass and roots, and
rocks removed, dead tree cut down,
the trunk and limbs being used to
prevent washes and just enough done
to arouse a desire to make other i'm
provements. Plans are being made
for the purchase of patent desks
There is nothing (except, Of
course, good teacher) more essen
tial Of the good and upbuilding of a
school than a set of good trustees,
and we believe, Judging by the way
these men took hold Of this work,
that this school Is not lacking In this
| respect, and that the time is not far
munity will erect a new and up-to-
date school building and have all
modern equipments.
Now we hope that other schools
In the county will take active meas
ures along this line and report the
improvements made either to us or
to The Courier, in order that we may
be able to send good report to the
State president of the association.
We hope to meet as many of the
county teachers as possible during
the teachers summer school. We
would be glad to visit the schools of
the county, but 1t Is impossible for
us to do so, or at least to visit very
many.
We hope our county will succeed
in winning some of the prizes offered
by the Improvement Association. We
give below the regulations sent by
the president Of the association con-
cerning the securing Of these prizes:
"The South Carolina School I'M
proyement Association offers thirty
five prizes to the schools Of the State
for the most decided material i'm
provement made during a given
length Of time. Five of the prizes
are to be $100 each, and thirty are
to be 500 each. Regulations con-
cerning the thirty-five prizes to be
awarded by this ass citation are as
follows: ......
q. improvements must be made
cember 10, 1908.
"2. Prizes will be awarded to the
school where the most decided ma
terial improvements have, been
made during the time mentioned.
"3. under material improvements
are included local taxation, consoli-
dation, new buildings, repairing and
painting old ones, libraries, reading
rooms or tables, interior decorations
and the beautifying of yards and bet
ter general equipment.
"a. No school can compete for any
Of these prizes unless it is a rural
school. No town with more than
500 population shall be eligible to
the contest.
"5. All who wish to enter this
contest must send names and de-
scription of school before improve
ments are made to the president pri-
or to October 1st.
"6. All descriptions, photographs
and other evidences showing i'm
provements must be sent to the pres
ident before December Is, 1908. The
chairman of the board of trustees Of
any school that is competing for
prize must approve all descriptions
before and after improvements are
made.
"7. Prizes will be awarded in
checks at the annual meeting of the
South Carolina improvement Asso-
citation, December 31st, 1908. The
prizes are to be used for further i'm
plovements in the schools receiving
them. (Signed
MARY II. Nance, President"
We sincerely hope that the offer
ing of these prizes will prove an i'm
petus to strenuous efforts on the part
Of the teachers and trustees OF all the
rural schools in the county to make
every improvement possible.
Respectfully,
Mrs. Jasper Doyle,
President O. A. r. S. |.
EOMr Killed on Cruiser Tennessee