The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1912-09-20
COUNTRY SCHOOLS
ARE ARE I PROGRESSIVE PROGRESSIVE
CLEANlNCS FROM REPORTS BY
SUPERVISOR WHITE.
School Districts Greater BY
Two, With Three More In
structors Employed.

The following report has just been
made to County Supt. Welles by Mr..
Albert 3. White supervisor in the
Northern section of Umatilla county.
The supervisors began their work on
August 12th, and the following report
shows the progress that is being made
at the end Of the fret month:
"Now that | have completed the
preliminary trip over nv district, /
thought it not uniting to make a
more extended report Of con ditions
than that submitted in the daily re-
port previously made. The number
OF school districts in my section is
greater by two, and the number of
teachers greater by three than last
year. Supervisor believes that in the
field at large conditions are much inn
proved. OF course his acquaintance
with hoard mem bers and patrons will
account for some of this feeling, hut
he is certain that the attitude of
school officials has undergone a de-
cided change. A much larger per-
centage give an attentive hearing to
his requests for improvement in equip
ment and facilities. and he notes
marked advance in the care which
is being bestowed upon school grounds,
school buildings and school furnish
ings.
10 three districts new school houses
are nearing completion; in six others
the buildings have been repainted; two
have sunk drilled wells; several have
bought new Hags TO replace old ones
that were fEayed and the two district
that are yet without flags (there we're
more than a dozen when we began)
have given assurance that the want
will te supplied.
Our campaign for the entire ban
ishment of the open water pail from
the school houses of this jurisdiction
is in sight OF realization, aud while
we still have much inferior black
board it is slowly but steadily giving
way to hylopiate, and one school ois-
tIict has purchased a slate board.
Gradually districts are yielding to our
requests for suitable book -oases for
their libraries. yards are icing inn
proved. fuels-sheds erected, ventilation
systems bettered and general adj
vance mads.
"That campaign OF Supervisors g
upon which be prides himself most is
the one he is making for the length
ening Of school terms. When his
work began, seventeen Of the thirty
eight schools then included In bis ter
ritory were making plans for six
months sessions. or less, during the
year. OF these seventeen, contracts
for this year have already been drawn:
By three. for seven months; by four,
for eight months; by three for nine
months. and of the remaining seven.
some at least will provide for longer
terms. Supervisor makes bold to say
that in bis section the six months
term will soon exist as memory on
ly.
The best thing about these adj
vance steps is the cheerfulness with
which they are being made. Many
boards that at first looked upon the
supervisor with distrust IL not enmity,
now seem to regard him as one CAL
culated to be of service to them. For
this change of attitude the supervisor
is truly grateful and will use his Test
efforts to justify the new feeling
where it exists and to create it in the
few cases where it is still lacking. =