The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1916-07-19
sUPT. DUKES ANNUAL REPORT
CONTAINS INTERESTING IN
FORMATION AND TIMELY REC
COMBINATIONS.

Superintendent J. C. Dukes annu'
al report to the city board of school,
commissioners is an interesting docu'
ment 1t is the twenty-ffth of Sc
ries in the history of the present pub
lie school system of Dawson. He
says:
The total enrolment is 697. Of
this number $50 are white and BAT
are colored. In the school for whites
we have enrolled 176 boys and ia
girls. My last annual report showed
$50, TIA boys and 176 girls. In the
high school we have enrolled As boys
and 48 girls, total of SO. In the
grades we have enrolled 131 boys and
1875 girls, total of 257. had hoped
to be able to report larger enroll
ment this this year, but the number is
exactly the same as last year. In
fact, the enrolment has increased on
ly 13 in the past seven years. The
children are not here. The town los
es each year about as many families
as it gains. Since there is nothing
interesting to report as regards gain
in numbers ! shall seek to give you
an idea of what has been done with
the material furnished.
Record Equaled by Few.
Ninety-three is not a large high
school enrolment. Yet it is as large
as many schools have been able to
show in towns much larger than Daw-
son. The high school enrolment
shows an increase of 10 over last
year, and it is about SO per cent of
the enrolment of the grades. A cas-
ual glance at other systems will show
you that few equal this record for
holding boys and girls in the high
school. If you have not already done
so you should definitely determine the
reason for this. You are practically
free from worry over the problem of
keeping the boys in school. There
are only three more girls than boys
in the high school, while in the grades
the boys outnumber the girls by five,
and in the system we have two more
boys than girls. You have just grad
uated class of eight-seven boys
and one girl For the most part the
boys are a manly set at school, and
during the past three years our dis
cipline could hardly have been i'm
proved upon. During the past year
the cases of corporal punishment
have averaged considerably less than
two per week for the entire school.
The attendance for the year has
been excellent. The records show an
average attendance of more than SO
per cent. One hundred and thirty
two pupils have a perfect record of
attendance This is nearly 40 per
cent of the entire enrolment. | doubt
whether this record can be equalled.
Our attendance has not suffered, as
heretofore, on account of epidemic
disease in the school. l hope that
the somewhat improved sanitary con-
ditions have been at least partially
responsible for this.
Medical and Dental Inspection.
! wish to urge upon you the i'm
portance of efficient janitor service.
The child spends the greater part of
the day in the school room for nine
months in the year. Since from 30
to 40 are always in each room we
should be very careful to see that
our school rooms and grounds are
the most sanitary and comfortable
places in town. To secure such con-
ditions we need more janitor service.
While discussing these problems
which deal primarily with health con-
ditions may l ask way have we dis
carded medical and dental inspection
from our school? The reasons for
safeguarding the health of the child
are too numerous to mention. Time
and again during the past three years
our teachers have pointed out to pa
rents physical defects of children.
Whenever these defects were correct
ed remarkable improvement was
shown in the mental Development of
the child. The schools have, in a
large measure, blazed the way, and
must continue to lead the fight for
better health conditions. All chill
dren. especially. should be examined
at least every six months. Some de-
feet unknown to the parent and
teacher may be the cause of back
wardness in work, and is frequently
the cause of unsatisfactory discipline.
I recommend that you again take up
the work. l know of nothing so i'm
portant.
Generally speaking, the work for
the year has been good. The records