The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-14

People are coming to realize more and more that the school is an institution of, for and by the people-that it is not some thing apart from the people but is directly concerned with them.
 It is the one institution where all peo- pie of a community may have a'common interest, and in which all may have a part. Were this even more fully realized and were the school made more of com munity center. both school and commun- ity would reap benefit. What is being done in this direction is due more to school improvement associations than to any other one agency.
 The school improvement associations in the several elementary schools of Bir- mingham have been in active service for some years, and they have invariably been the means of improving the school In a material way and of strengthening the usefulness of the community in which the schools are located.
 Reports from these schools showing the work they have done during the first half of the present school year are interesting and show what good work was done ill that time
 GraymOnt Association
 The SchooI improvement association at Graymont gave most of its attention last fall to securing material improvements The street was graded, a drinking foun- tain was installed and playground equip ment was secured, and nearly all the funds to pay for this material have been collected. Lunch service is maintained the supplies for the lunch room being do- mated A number of lectures by physl- clans and one Illustrated lecture on gar dening have been given.
 Mrs L. c. Branscomb is president Of the association and the meetings are held each month.
 Association at Martin School
 The Martin school follows plan or undertaking some definite work In It's association each year. One year it was the library, another the playground, and this year it is vocationtal work.
 The association has purchased a sew ing machine for the senior seventh grade 1. girls, and these girls have a lesson every "wednesday afternoon in machine sewing. The junior seventh grade girls have hand sewing With the consent of the princi- pal they may elect woodwork instead of sewing. The seventh grade boys. junior and senior, are given commercial spelling and writing and introductory bookkeeping once a week after school. This class is taught by E. F. Smith, prin- cipal, and the sewing classes are taught by teachers who volunteer for the classes A cooking class is taught one afternon week after school by Miss Hargis, one of the special city school teachers of cook ing. and is attended by most of the teach CTS iii the building and by some of the ladies of the association. All of this work in vocational subjects is in addition to the regular course of study.
 Boy Scout troops meet in the school buildings and use the shop, furnishing their own material City beautiful clubs meet here, also. The school library is nearing 1000 vol umes and it and the city library have reached every home in the community. Home and school gardens are a feature of the school, and the association is plan ming vacation supervision of gardens for the North Highlands district.
 The school plans to operate both its garden and its playground during va cation.
 The association handled more than S1000 during the term, most of this being expended on the kindergarten, tho playground, library, gardens and lunches. The lunchroon is ideally ar ranged and the service could hardly be improved. During the first term 93S0 lunches were served. They are sold for 5 cents each, and the lunch service was slightly more than self-sHpDo9ting.
 A new rest room has been equipped, and a library and reading clubroom ar ranged. Trees and vines have been planted and general improvement has been made in the grounds. All exten- sion lectures have been given as sched- uled and all have been we'll attended. The school has an adequate auditorium for indoor entertainments and quite as good a place for open air plays.
 The Martin School Improvement as- sociation has a previously arranged pro- gramme for each meeting. The first of the term was devoted, except the business session, to readings, a talk on school savings accounts, and on Sun day play and Sunday observance At the second meeting, home study and home reading from the parents stand point in every grade and from the teachers standpoint in every grade was the subject, and the closely related subject of story telling was given by Miss Taylor. At the next meeting there was a book review of the vol ume, Parents and Their Problems" which had been sent out from the school library. At this meeting Miss Hansis,