The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-04
BLOCTON AND WEST BLOCTON SCHOOLS
TWO OF BIBB COUNTYs BEST PUBLIC SCHOOLS

! yet there is no repression. The teachers
and pupils seem to be thoroughly at
home and to work with perfect ease and
assurance. When the gong sounds for
recess. the children file out into the halls
in good order. The older pupils descend
the stairs, the lines divide. passing out
separate entrances with certain teachers
| in charge. When the signal for dismiss
sion is given the children scatter in every
| direction, Immediately begin their games
and play just as hard az they can till
the bell rings again. Teachers and pupils
seems to>enioy their work and everything
moves with delightful ease. Miss Huff
stutler, teacher of the sixth and seventh
| grades is stressing composition and Eng
lish So often children form a very nat
ural dislike for this study on account
lof the drill work that must be done In
/ fifth. sixth and seventh grade English.
| and II is to the credit OF Miss Huffstutler
that she Is working so faithfully with
and for her pupils in this particular study.
/ Miss Elizabeth NAYS. teacher of the
! fifth and part of the fourth grades, and
MISS Turner, who teaches the third and
| a part of the fourth. are working for
! thorough understanding of fundamental
| principles, the most important feature of
the work In these grades. Miss Weirs
| second grade pupils are at the point
where they are first learning to be in
dependent. Their little composition books
are really very good indeed and show
| capable teaching and painstaking effort.
| In Miss Laws classroom is a host II
little beginners, who are making splen-
did progress. They and their teacher ore
delightfully."- congenial and they are per-
| fectly contented In their little world
Each faaphpr lxaens time spbedf,1e
posted and makes a programme for each
days work
Downstairs in the music department
| Miss Annie Laurie Walker has her pu-
pills in piano, violin and voice. Miss
Walker is an unusually gifted musician.
and has added to her natural talent much
conscientious study. graduating not long
| ago from the Cincinnati Conservatory oil
| Music She has 80 pupils and expects to
give one or two certificates at the close
Of the present school year Miss Wal
ker's music adds much to the school,
Another pleasing feature in the way of
entertainment is the childrens pro-
grarnmes given during the morning exer-
cises. About twice each month the pupils
| of each teacher in turn present for the
| entire school some programme which they
have prepared. These programmes are
not formal, but are designed rather to
accustom the children to an audience and
1
| st. Francis School
| A grammar school is maintained in con-
nection with Saint Francis Catholic
church in Blocton. The church, school
| rooms, and parish house are on the crest
| of a beautiful hill In the eastern part of
| the town. A lovelier spot could hardly
be found. The grounds on the hilltop are
| level, and big oaks stand here and there.
| The two school rooms are In the rear Of
/ the church, separated from II by a hall.
They are new, and are Immediately
clean The windows are all at the back,
making practically u glass side. On the
other walls are blackboards. The rooms
are painted handsomely IN yellow with
| brown borders, and were especially pretty
| when decorated at Thanksgiving. Cedar
| and holly were used i'm abundance and
on the baclSboards We're arge pictures of
| the United States flag and of turkeys,
| In colors With q narrow top borders of
pumpkins and pumpkin vines.
!! This school extends through the gram
| mar grades. Sister Cecilia has the pri-
| mary grades and teaches piano and violin,
and Sister Mary has the intermediate de-
| partment Religious instruction is direct
| ed by Father Muller. The sisters have
| this year begun domestic teaching among
| the girls of their school. --.
o'tis West Blocton School
| West Bloeton is an Incorporated town
half a mile or more from Blocton. Mr.
T. A. McCool is mayor. The town owns
a system of waterworks and electric
| light plant. number of beautiful homes
| in West Bloeton make of il a desirable
! residence town. and the drug stores, de-
partment stores, picture shows. theatre,
! hotel, hardware store. large furniture
! house, and other business places make
/ it center for pleasure and shopping
trips from nearby towns. There are half
| dozen more churches in West Bloc
/ ton including a Jewish synagogue.
The West Blocton school is in the CEN
ter of the town. The building was we'll
| planned and well built, and recent i'm
1 provements have made ii one of the best
/ to be found. Downstairs are three large
recitation rooms, music room, porches
and halls. The library and the auditorium
| are on the second floor. The library is
| a cozy little room opening off the audi
| torium.
| Mr.. w b. Loveioy is principal and
| teaches In the high school department.
His students sit in the auditorium. Mrs
| Burns, from Livingston Normal. has
| charge of the fifth and sixth grades.
Here again, thorough work in English is
being done. Miss Martin teaches the
| third and fourth grades. She is centerng
| her attention on the children's reading
and on developing their reasoning power.
| This sounds very formidable when one
! thinks what merry little lady Miss Mar
| tin Is, but she is working very earnestly
| TO direct properly the childrens mental
| development. This is especially important
in her grades, as the pupils are just now
undertaking problems in arithmetic, and
are beginning geography and English; and
| 1t is essential that they learn now how
| to cultivate and to use their reasoning
| powers and to be alert mentally Miss
| Wallace, who teaches the first and Sec
ond grades, seems especially suited to pri-
mary work and has made a decided sue
| cess during the several years she has
been at the head of this department
| Her room and Miss Martins contain pref
| ty decorations that the younger children
| like.
| Potted plants, lilies, pictures, both large
| prints and small Perry pictures, are IN
| the schoolrooms and make them pretty
| when all the outdoor flowers are dead
| and there is danger of the schoolrooms
being bit cheerless.
| Miss Hattie Weaver is the music teach
| err She is a West Blocton girl. who is
| gifted not only with unusual musical tai
ent but with. energy perseverance ard
| a pleasing personality. She is capable
| teacher and a gracious performer. Her
| piano class at school is composed of 20
pupils. and she teaches public school mu-
| sic also.
The work done by the School Improve