The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1912-06-29
OAK GROVE SCHOOL CLOSES.

turai High sehoo! Held in 0pen
Ar-cIass Of Eleven Receive ri
plomas-Addresses by State and
Parish Superintendent.
/ The graduation exercises of the
| Oak Grove state agricultural high
school at Hope Villa were held in
the open air on the school campus
| Friday, June IA, in the presence of
large and appreciative audience.
| The attractive program was well car
| rled out, and each number was rem
dered in a manner that elected en-
| anusiastic applause and reflected
much credit upon the students and
| faculty of the school, Diplomas We're
presented by supt. J. L. Rusca to
Misses Carrie Brown, Estelle Daig1e,
Fabian Daigle and Della MtCrory, and
Messrs. Jansen Daigle, Ira Stampley,
| Lancie Dixon, Bentley Mackay, Jack
McCrory, Eugene Webb and Murphy
Webb. Miss Brown was the saluta-
torian of the class, and Miss Fabian
Daigle the va1edictorian. The class
history and prophecy were delivered
by Bentley Mackay
Several choruses were rendered by
The high school boys and girls, and
a solo by Miss Carrie Brown, with
violin and piano accompaniment, was
also a feature of the interesting
program.
State supt. T. H. Harris delivered
an eloquent address, during the
course of which he mentioned that
the Oak Grove graduating class was
the largest sent out this year from
any agricultural school in the state,
and one Of the largest sent out from
any high school. He congratulated
The faculty and students of the in
stitution, and felicitated the people
of the community on the splendid
results of the years work at Oak
Grove and throughout the parish.
Principal j. E. Thompson made q
short talk; and presented a medal to
Miss Carrie Brown for scholarship,
and in recognition of her assistance
with the music work of the school.
Ira Stampley won first honors,
having scored the highest average
in the class.
In presenting the diplomas to the
graduates, Supt. Rusca spoke as fol
lows:
am not going to tire you with a
review OF the years work in the par
ish or in your own school, but it is
we'll for us all at the end of
session to recount our gains and our
losses; to weigh in the balance our
achievements and cur successes on
The one hand and our shortcomings
and our failures on the other. 1t
would be unreasonable to expect all
successes and no failures, just as it
would be unreasonable to expect in
life all roses and no thorns, or all
sunshine and no rain, for very truly
has the poet said: into each life
some rain must fall. some days must
be dark and d1cIsry.
1T is trueqp d1at the year has been.
a hard one man aspects; that
| we have hadb contend against cold
and rain, WiaIIeTsnd wave, and with
that greatest Of all evils in a school
system, inadequate frnds. It is true
that we have perhaps had some
shortc omings, just as every other par
tsh and superintendent has had, but.
my friends, the good results of the
years work have far outWeighed our
failures. These accomplishments are
evident at every hand and today,
this night, the closing of your school
marks the close of what is probably
the most successful year in the his
tory of public education in the par
ish.
MANY parishes have been forced
to abandon their schools before the
end on account of the floods; some,
for lack of funds, have been forced
10 reduce salaries, others to curtail
the term to seven. six and even five
months; fortunate indeed are we that
our schools have been permitted to
run seven and one-half, eight and
nine months, and that they have
been able to complete their work,
and thankful are we all for what
ever measure of success and Of
good has been accomplished
ITO the splendid, progressive school
spirit of the people of this parish.
coupled with their time and money,
and to the untiring efforts of a body
of conscientious teachers is due the
credit for what has been accomplish
ed. I congratulate, particularly, the
patrons and friends of this school
for their substantial cooperation
during the year. | congratulate the
teachers of this school on the efforts
which they have put forth.
Last session when the high
schools of this parish, three in num-
Der then, sent out from their walls
sixteen graduates, we were delighted.
We were gratified to know that this
was the largest number ever sent out
IN any one year up to that time,
| and we congratulated ourselves that
school sentiment had been SO deve1-
oped and that the work of the high
schools had been made sufficiently
practical and attractive to induce
boys and girls to remain until gradu-
alton. We have before US this eve
ming very tangible evidence, evidence
both handsome and beautiful, of the