The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1915-04-30
HIGH STANDARD OF
LOCAL SCHOOLS


citizen of Medina to visit the public
schools and get an idea first-handed
of the excellent work being done there.
Especially is this so with regard to
the high school, Indeed visit to the
various departments is quite neces-
sary to gain convincing information.
It is not a very difficult task for one
so inclined to criticise schools and
teachers tho such criticisms are made
from time to time, rarely in our midst
and largely are found to emanate
from ones who have an ak to grind
and devoid Of any personal knowledge
of what is actually being accomplish
ed at school, or else from chronic
fault-fnders.
We believe one will go long way
before finding, school whose teachers
are harder workers and who accom-
plish more or as much than in Medina.
One day last week the writer visit
ed each department Of the high school
and questioned concerning the objects
Of each department and the results
that the respective instructors are
achieving. %
For instance, take the Home Art
department, which embraces Domestic
Science. This department is under
the efficient supervision of Miss Ethel
Rimes and is one Of the most prac-
teal departments Of the entire school
system. Everything that makes for
economy and efficiency in the home,
such as sewing, the art of combining
colors properly in the selection Of
wallpaper, rugs, ETC., enters into the
study in this course. Pupils are
taught to recognize the different kinds
of fabrics and their uses and how to
combine them in the building of
gowns. This department should rank
foremost for teaching girls to make
an artistic patch if for nothing else.
Specimens of patching suspended on
the walls of the class room would
cause a bachelor to sit up and take
notice. It is with difficulty that one
can distinguish the demarkation of
the patches. Two regular periods of
40 minutes each are devoted daily to
the theory of this art and three double
periods of 80 minutes each to daily
= ~ - =. =. y ~ - n, sS- 4
practlce. ~4
Another douSishing department is
the business course, conducted efficient
ly by Miss O'Connors Twelve STAN
dard typewriters are kept busy from
1880 a. m. to 4 p. M, with 80 students
working in relays upon them. Every
student is taught the Gregg touch
system, which alone is employed in
upward Of rs per cent Of all the high
schools and business colleges. The
typewriters used are Remington,
Smith Premier, Underwood and Mon
arch. ALI keyboards are blank, thus
the pupil becomes familiar to an ex-
tent that he is able to confine his en-
tire attention to thought while operat-
ing. The work of typwriting and
shorthand constitutes two-year
course, the first year and a half being
devoted to securing a firm and accur-
ate foundation and the last half Civ
en- to cultivation of speed. One Of the
most interesting features Of this
course is to see students take dicta-
tion, transcribe same, attach it to the
mimeograph and turn out the finished
sheet at the rate of more than 200 a
minute. For accuracy, beauty and
alignment these sheets equal or sur
pass the regular typewriter copy.
One whole year is devoted to the
study of bookkeeping, one-half year to
commercial geography and one-half
year to commercial law.
AS an evidence of the high regard
and value placed upan the typewriting
and shorthand course it may be
stated that requests are now on file
with Miss 0'Connor, which cannot be
filled.
Another department that ranks high
in the high school and which has re-
ceived the public endorsement and
compliments of the state department,
is that of agriculture and botany, un-
der the direction of r. J. Miller. From
the state department comes the opin-
ion that this course is one Of the
strongest to be found. The course is
evenly balanced between theory and
practice that i, one-half devoted to
the former and one-half to laboratory
oud Ta1d ,r,o,L D,Y,.ina, tho uavt