Weekly journal-miner., 1915-10-13
PROSPERITY IN THE
 UPPER VERDE CITIES
(Ftom Saturdays pailv.l

! I Aoh JSlO4iS anu SldA hudlC al Oi
 the crest of giant wave of prosper
 ity was the assertion of Superintend
 ent of County Schools Miller yester
 day after an inspection of the schools of the Upper Verde valley. The good
 times are not only noticeable in the
 schools, he declared, but among the
 business houses in the two coming cities.
 Miller left for the Verde last Sat. urday, stopping at Perkinsville.
 On arriving at Clarkdale on last Monday evening Miller found it i'm possible to get room because of crowded conditions, and had to go on to Cottonwood, where he found a room for the night.
 The same crowded condition was found to exist at Jerome, for, after Miller had secured his room at the hotel, there were more than 30 other persons who applied for lodgings who were turned away. Miller says that the streets in both cities are alive with people, and everybody is confi- dent that the period of good times is there to remain.
 At Jerome the school roll showed that the attendance was about the same as last year, while at Clarkdale the increase is wonderful, there be- ing 171 more pupils enrolled for the first month this year than there was for the same period last year.
 Nine teachers are employed at Clarkdale, and with the night watch man, Jim Cook as truant officer, the attendance at the school is kept up to the maximum. Over GO are en- rolled in the first grade, all being taught by one teacher, who has to make a morning and afternoon di- vision of the class. This situation will be remedied on completion of the new school building, which is rapid ly being constructed and will be one of the best of its kind in the entire State. Any town might be proud of the new structure, which consists of nine class rooms of the regulation size, a special room, for the school li- brary, an office for the principal, a teachers rest room and large audi torium.
 In the Jerome school Superintend- ent Stevenson has worked out course of study supplementing the State course, in which he had decided upon, for each of the texts the exact amount of work to be done by each teacher. His new system will later be furnished to all of the teachers in the valley under the Verde Valley Teachers Association.
 The Jerome school employs a school nurse and has a special teach cr in physical training education for the pupils, both of whom arc doing excellent work
 Arrangements have been made with pr. Mcintosh, dentist of Clarkdale, 70 visit the Jerome schools once a week and the school board has equipped an office in one of the build ngs, where each pupil may have his 0r her teeth examined free of charge Out of 432 pupils examined, 284 were found to have defective teeth. Ar have also been made with Dr. Murietta whereby a free medical 'xamination may be had by each pupil. These two public spirited men make no charges for these cxamina- tions and Jerome can consider itself fortunate to have them.
 The first Parent-TeacherS meeting of the year was held a short time ago and the attendance of over 200 for the size of the town is surprising. The gathering about filled the school audi l torium. The schools have what is known as visitors day once a month, o2 registered for visitors day during the past month. The room that can boast of the most visits from parents for the month is entitled to have the bust of Washington remain in the room during the following month.
 With school nurse, a truant off ,er, a special teacher in physical edu cation, special teacher of art, a special teacher of music, with free medical and dental inspection and a body of other live teachers, Jerome ;an boast of having one of the best schools of the State, and all this is lone with the same prorata per pupil Is in all other schools of the county, 10 special levy having been laid on he district.
 Miller also declared that while in Ilarkdale he saw some excellent work ,cing done, declaring that he heard 'nc entire grade, composed of 3S pupils cad, every one of them doing redit to themselves and their teacher.