The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-08-02
TRADE SCHOOL TO OPEN ON
 AUGUST I5

Alfred P. Fletcher, the new man selected by Charles D. Hine of the State Board of Education to take charge of the Bridgeport Trade school was at his desk today and to a Farm CT reporter he announced this morning that he would open the school on Aug. 15. MT. Fletcher is an architect by profession, but has spent the most of his time in educational work, al though he designed some of the finest buildings in Rochester, N. Y. He is a graduate of the University of Roch- ester where he secured the degrees of B. A. and M. A. For three years from 1900 to 1903 he was an instructor in the Mechanics Institute at Roches- ter. For three years from 1903 to 1906 he was principal or the tennessee Grammar school, one of the largest grammar schools of the city. From 1906 to the time of his coming to this city he was director of the Manual and Industrial training at Rochester
 In December 1908, MT. Fletcher or ganized the Rochester shop school which was the first trade school to be opened in New York state, under the recent act providing for the estab- lishment of such schools. Six months later an elementary industrial school was organized to prepare boys for the trade school, and during the past few months MT. Fletcher has been engaged in the organization of a girls trade school in the city of Rochester, which is to be opened on Sept. 12. In the Rochester shop school, commercial product was turned out. The cabinet making department manufactured bookcases, manual training benches, chairs, flat top desks, and other sim liar articles of furniture which were needed in the public schools of the city. The boys from the plumbing department went out, either under the direction oe an instructor or under boy foreman, and made all necessary repairs and simple installation of fix lures in the schools of the city. Sim liar work was done by the electrical department and the carpentry depart ment At the present time, that school has an enrolment of 100 pu- pills and a large waiting list.
 MT. Fletcher told Farmer reporter this morning that he had left a work that had begun to attract great deal of attention in every part of the country, but he had done So because he felt that the field in Connecticut was an unusually bright one because of the prominece of the state in man. ufacturing and of the reputation that Bridgeport had for diversified manu- featuring. He said that his idea of the trades school is to run an ideal factory along the lines of every first class shop with the exception that the product will be the well taught boy.
 He said the equipment here is un- usually fine. He expects to have about 165 pupils when the school opens The machinists' trade, carpen- try, wood working and plumbing will be the first courses taught
 At Rochester the cost of running the trades school with about 100 pu- pills had been 5000 last year and the school had turned out commercial product valued at 5000.
 There are 80 teachers connected with the manual training work at Roches- ter There is a shop in each gram mar school for the children of the 5th, 6th Eth and 9th grades and in of diversified curriculum was estab- lished. Boys who reached the 9th grade and who did not intend to go to high school were started upon the elementary work of a trade at that time.
 also embraced a course in domestic science In the grammar schools there are several model flats laid out where the girls are taught housekeep- ing.
 MT. Fletcher says there is a go ahead atmOSpnere aDOuI BrlQSepOrt that he likes, and he is pleased with the hotel accommodations here. The new head of the school intends to establish a home for his wife and daughter here.
 Jeremiah Holmes, by whom the school was organized, resigned re- gently from the superintendency of the school. The reason given for the resignation is that MT. Holmes wish ed to avoid friction with Charles D. Hine. secretary of the State Board of Education. It is alleged that MT. Hines supervision of the school was so close that it left little to the dis cretion of the superintendent, and that Mr. Hines policy was at vari- ance with that of MT. Holmes and the Bridgeport committee which is composed of E. P. Bullard, Jr., Geo. M Flames, W. A. Smith and A. w. Burritt
 Mr. Holmes who has been in Y. M. c. A. work for ten years is consider ing an offer from a western associa- tion which is said to offer large field for good work.
 Mr. Holmes has made many friends during his ten years residence in Bridgeport and it is generally conced- ed that his interest in the Trade