The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1909-05-15
Annual Conyocation OF Public Schools of
Ascension Parish-fnteresting Pro-
gram Successfully Carried Out.
By Superintendent g. ]. Brown.

! occu pations and assume the expense
necessary to make the trip, shows an
unusual and unexpected interest in the
educationoftheir children; and the fact
| that, while there were scores of eontes-
tants, each of whom and whose par
euts and teachers were more or less
confident of victory, the whole affair
! passed off with almost no friction and
the best of good feeling and satisfac-
tion, makes rally day most crafty
| ing event in the educational history Of
| Ascension parish.
It is also a source of satisfaction to
know that the winners in literary
events were distributed among so
many schools, thereby indicating that
good teaching and cal able pupils are
not confined to any particular schools.
An investigation Of the results will
also show that the best records were
we'll distributed among the various
grades above the second, the highest
grade by no means having monopoly
of good spelling and rapid arithmetic.
1t is we'll to remember that in con-
tests OF this kind, there are some ele-
ments of chance, luck sometimes throw
ing the hardest words, time after time,
TO the same pupil; that the decisions
of those in charge are not infallible,
but subject to human error Of judg
ment; that conditions may arise af-
fecting contestants which could hardly
have been foreseen; and that often ore
must almost split hairs to render a de-
cision. For instance, in the iudg-
meat of the committee in charge, J ack-
son McCrory, the Oak Grove contest
ant in arithmetic, was almost as much
entitled to favorable decision as was
the one declared winner. Little Carrie
Schuster, of the third grade OF Elise
Memorial, who was seated on word
thought to be misspelled by the teacher
in charge and the superintendent,
maintains with some who stood near
her that she spelled correctly, and We
will admit it is not improbable that
she was misunderstood and that sew
eral others were also elimin ated on
exceedingly close decisions. In car
rying on contests among SO many and
under rather strenuous conditions, it
was inevitable that some of these
things should happen, and it is all the
more gratifying to know that contest
ants, teachers and parents realized
this and accepted the results with such
good will.
Il is but appropriate that thanks
should be extended to children, par
ents and teachers for their contrihu-
tions to the success of rally day. It
was a great object lesson showing the
extent to which the educational wei
fare of their children has hold of the
people of Ascension parish a-d that it
is their determination to make it their
chief responsibility Of life.
Medals for the winners Of the vari.
Gus contests among the pupils of the
Donaldsonvifle school, which were
held Friday morning. will be awarded
commencement night, June 4, as fol-
lows:
Edith Leblanc, spelling, fourth
grade.
Mabel Watke, spelling, seventh
grade.
Leonard Pfster, rapid arithmetic,
fourth grade.
Blanche Castagnos, rapid arithmetic,
sixth grade.
While there were no prizes of any
kind offered for Industrial hand work,
because 50 varied disply was not ex-
pected, yet the committee Of superfn-
tendents and educators who examined
the collection say that it surpassed in
variety that at Baton Rouge on state
rally day, and was most surprising IN
the quality of the products. The Dom
aldsonyille, Elise Memorial, Dutch
town. Sacramento, Barton and Smoke
Bend exhibits were especially praised
The athletic contests held on the high
school campus in the afternoon re-
suited as follows:
GRADES FIRST TO FOURTH.
Fifty yard dash-Laurence Gregoire,
DonaldsonYiile, first.
Running broad Jump-Chandl
Oubre, Donaldsonville, first, Is feet;
Pierre Braud, Donaldsonville, second.
GRADES FIFTH TO EIGHTH.
Fifty yard dash-Mauriee Jaurdeau,
Sacramento, first: Sidney Heath, ST.
Amant, second; George Casso, Dom
aldsonville, third
Standing broad jump-Julius Folse,
DonaldsonviIle, first, s feet l inch:
Sidney Heath, ST. Amant, second,
feet Il 2inches; Milton Braud, Dutch
town, third, feet inches.
HIGH SCHOOL GRADES.
100 yard dash viii Bldmenthal,
DonaldsoDville, first, 10 5 seconds;
Clarence Boote, Donaldsonviile, sac
ond.
Running broad Jump lumenthal,
won, II feet; Lueien
Casso, Donaldsonville, second, Is feet
8 inches.
Pole gault-Jnlins Folse, Donald
sonyille, won, 8 feet.
Quarter mile race-B 1ume ID i al.
Donaldsonviile. first, So 2 5 seconds:
Ba0te. Dunaldsonville, second.
Putting II pound shot-Dudley Mar
chand, Donaldsonyille, won, 81 feet
) inches; Claiborne Leroy, Donald
sanville, second. 81 feet 6 inches. Cor
bett " aiker DonaldsonVille, third,
r - II