News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1913-10-08
A School Play Day for a North
Dakota County
By Leonard T. Cole

|
Some bright, thoughtful, industrious
teacher awoke one morning with new
idea:-Why not bring together the chill
dren, parents ard school lofficers' of a
county? Why not devote the day to ex.
ercises which will benefit the younpe,
children as well as the older, and at the
same time inspire school patrons?
The who. where, when and how of the
development of the idea into actual ac
complishment are instructive. But lei
us look only upon its elimination.
The day had been well chosen, the
weather was suspicious; and all the PEG.
pie of Barnes County seemed to be pour.
ing into Valley City, the seat of one of
the three state normal schools of North
Dakota. Railway trains, automobiles,
four-horse teams, buggies and horses
under the saddle brought about 1900 per
seven grain wagons beautifully decorated
and filled with school children and their
teachers.
Significant badges indicated who had
exceled in physical exercises of their
own schools and groups of schools and
who were entitled to compete in the long
runs, the dashes. the jumping, and other
contests of the day.
A "Grand Procession" was formed. a
"Grand March" to the music of several
| bands, one of them a school band,
brought the throng to the athletic field.
Every boy and girl of the lowest grades.
every lady and gentleman of the high
schools and the Normal school was live
wire. Delicate little girls and refae d
young ladies were as earnest and success
full in their respective grades and classes
| as their brothers of corresponding rant .
The plans and regulations had beer 30
| wisely matured that schools were judged
and credited, in each contest. on the per-
centage of their enrolment and not OH
| the basis of actual members. SO when
| the victors lined up on the campus In
front of the great buildings of the Nor
NAL schools to receive their rewards and
trophies, to the delight of all the amer
school was found to be Number II, a
rural school of only Is pupils, out on the
prairie, taught by a young lady. To them
the pennant was given amid volume of
cheers and serenade from the bands,
Parcels, coats, cloaks, anything be-
longing to visitors, were systematically
checked, cared for and returned on call
by school children free of charge. Other
pupils served as marshals, guides about
, town, messengers or care-takers of little
ones.
lions brought their own dinners on the
basket picnic plan, hot school lunches
were sold at two or five cents, according
to kind, and domestic science dinners at
ten and fifteen cents, with good margin
of profit
| Merchants of Valley City decorated
their stores; the Normal school plant
was thrown open for inspection and
! pupils were present to explain all things
and answer questions.
So the Barnes County School Play
Dav" was an educational triumph.
This movement, the writer believes,
is bound to become national, possibly
continental and worldwide. The placing
of rural schools ard normal schools on
the same plane of opportunity is high
wisdom for when lower grade children
find that in some things they can surpass
their seniors they rise to the ambition to
equal and finally to excel them in other
things. Furthermore the true American
spirit of equality is thus fostered by the
mingling of all.
The presence of parents and school Of
Ulcers, with visitors from other parts OF
the state, in happy informal converse is
another valuable factor in educational
progress.