Connecticut western news., 1909-06-24
DIPLOMAS ID BE
 AWARDED TONIGHT
TO THE CANAAN H. s. GRADUATES
Annual Exercises will be Held in Town Hall and All are Invited-Principa pal Morrill, of New Haven the Speaker Growth of the Local School.

uTOWiH Ol tHe LUCdI OCHUOIs
 Graduation exercises of the Canaan High School will be held at the town hall this evening at eight o'clock. The program will be as follows: March, cantata, "The Lady of Shalott, !" "school chorus; address, Principal A. B. Morrill, of the New Haven Normal School; pre- sentation of diplomas by Chairman E. s. Roberts of the Board of Education; song, Good Night" school chorus; benedicton, Rev. E. O. Gillette.
 Those who are to graduate are as follows: Margueriette Muriea O'Hara Catherine Mary O'Brien, Lena Marian Boinay, Fred Dwight Leffingwsll, Thomas Lee Roberts. Of these Miss O'Hara has taken the academic course and the other four the commercial course.
 As will be noticed the program this year differs from those which have passed in that the graduates themselves take no part except to be present to re- ceive their diplomas and to listen to the program. This is in accordance with an idea which Is becoming popular in that it relieves the graduates of the additional work at the end of the year.
 It is desired that it be understood that the public generally is cordially invited to these exercises. Members of the class sent few invitations to out-of.tow friends or relatives but hearty invita- tion is extended to all to be present. The class flower is the mountain laurel and it is hoped that the town hall may be profusley decorated with this beautiful shrub this evening. The members of the high school will occupy positions on the stage, as well as the graduates and other , participants in the exercises, and will constitute the chorus to render the can tata and final song under the supervis- ion of Mrs. Bierce, supervisor of music in the schools.
 With this year Mss Roraback com pletes her sixteenth year as principal of the high school and in view of the com pletion of the new high school building and the graduation to-day of the first class to have studied there will be inter esting to remark the growth of the school during the time that Miss Roraback has been at it's head. When she assumed charge of the little square building iR i 1899 1t boasted only four rooms and oi them it was necessary to use only three Los icyhf ilc in, the school and only three teachers.
 By 1900 the number of pupils had so increased that all four rooms were not only full but overcrowed and while the south wing was being built in that year a number of the school children had to attend school at the overflow school in town hall. With the two, rooms then added the quarters proved sufficiently oommodious up to last year when it was again found necessary to build an addi- tion, this time the north wing. Other necessary and indispensable improve ments were also made at that time so that the building during the past year has proven satisfactory in every way | with the present needs.
 Instead of the original 80 pupils there has been an average of 260 in the entire school during the past year, and instead of the original 15 in the high school there has been an average in this depart ment of more than 30. This is really a remarkable growth, the number of pu- pills having more than trebled in the six teen years.