The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1912-07-25
TOO MUCH SMOKING BY
GRADE SCHOOL BOYS
SUCH is STARTLING STATEMENT
MADE BY PRESIDENT OF
SCHOOL BOARD IN AN.
NUAL REPORT,

ton among the tobacco users and
that that condition is growing worse,
is the statement made by j. w. Nc
Clinton president of the school board
in his annual report submitted to
that body recently.
He recommends stringent measure
es to stop the spread of the smoking
habit and urges that boys, whose
clothes smell strongly of tobacco
smoke, be not allowed the privilege
OF the schools.
The report in whole follows. 1t
shows a marked gain in the schools
OF Mitchell in many ways, and highly
endorses the present teaching force.
ITO the Board of Education of the
City of Mitchell:
In accordance with custom /
submit the annual report as to the
conditions and needs of the Mitchell
Public Schools for the year 1911
1912.
The school assembled Aug. 9th,
1911 and closed May 80, 1912. There
were i'm all one hundred and seventy
five days of actual teaching. the re-
naming days being recognized as
holidays as follows: Labor day,
Thanksgiving and the day follow
ing, Washington's birthday, and Dec
Grafton day. In connection with this
report, permit me to say that | feel
it Il useless waste of time with the
extended vacation, and that the
board should give serious consider
alton to the extension of the school
year by at least half a month if not
more NJonv co1oa1 uvct,p,, ,,, c.,
ten months in the year and feel that
the health of the child is not impair
ed as Il result. The sooner we get
away from the idea that the children
in the city schools are being over
worked the ooner will we, as we'll
as they, get to the place where more
work will be done and better results
obtained, and a spirit of industry
will be instilled into the young Am
erican.
Enrolment.
"The school enrolment during the
year has reached a little above the
thirteen hundred mark, the actual
figures showing 1928 pupils enrolled
This does not show a marked in
crease owe the previous year where
the records show the enrolment to
have reached 1916. We have an at
tendance this year of two hundred
and sixty in the high school and one
thousand and siXty-three in the grad
es. OF this enrolment We find there
were 651 boys and 672 girls. The
class graduating from the high
school numbered thirty-seven, twenty
three of which were girls and four
teen boys. At the close of the first
semester there were fourteen stud
ents who completed the grade work
and all of these reported at the be-
ginning of the second semester for
work in the high school. At the
close of the year there was a class of
fifty-two finished the work of the
grades most of whom plan to enter
the high school this fall. 1t is inter
esting to note that in this class there
We're twcnty-siX girls and an equal
number of boys.
Moral Conditions.
81 feel that the conditions are not
satisfactory as to the morals of the
schools. With this in view a recon-
mendation will be made later as to
the playground proposition. On in
vcstigation, in fact the matter is
self evident without much Investigate
ing, there is too much smoking
among the grade boys of the city.
During the veal an effort has been
made to reduce the habit but | an
not satisfied with the progress made.
| fell that more stringent means arc
necessary. am positive in the feel
ing that no student has the right TO
the privileges of the public schools
where his condition is such as to
prove distasteful to the pupils in any
grade. In short the pupil who will
pretend to attend school when the
odor of tobacco On his clothing is so
strong as to be noticeable in a o
is not entitled to the privilege of the
school until such time as the parent
has had an opportunity to fumigate
the youngster and present him in
presentable form. I am of the i'm
preston also that the habit among
the boys is on the increase and caus-
ed primarily by the fact that they
are permitted in such places as will
tend to influence them along this
line. A strong public sentiment
is about the only efficient solution.
Teaching Force.
"Ine teaching force during lue
present year numbered forty-three
That force is composed of eight men
and t%hirty-five women. These have
certificates as follows; two have life
certificates. thirty have state certifi-
Gates, two have state primary certi-
ticatcs while but three of the entire
force have first grade and none have
below this. / might also mention
that the special teachers such as
Manual training Domestic science,
Music, etc, are not required to have
certificates to teach in the state.
Il consider the standard of the
teaching force high. 1t is unusual
in a force so large to find SO few
that are below standard. There are
also a large number of teachers that
are exceptional for a force of this
size.
1.-The year has been marked for
the amount of sickness in the force
Five teachers submitted to opera.
tions either just before school open
ed or during the year. In addition
to that a number of others we're out
from time to time because of sick
ness. Most of this occurred during