The Polk County Republican. (Ducktown, Tenn.) 1914-191?, 1916-02-18
HIGH SCHOOL WORK.

larger than last month. Their are quite
few new students i'm both Grammar school,
and High school, There are some, however
that have Withdrawn to 90 to work or Tor
other reasons The attendance has been
fairly good the last month in both schools.
There has been some talk that the en-
rollment or average attendance was not
sufficient to enable the DucktOwn High
School to maintain its position on the class
flied list of the high schools of the state.
This is a mistake; the regulations and
classi6cations of the High schools of the
state are formulated by the state High
school Inspector. state superintendent and
the state board of education. The require
mems for schools of the first class are that
they maintain an average daily attendance
Of at least thirty students and that the
principal in charge of the school devote
two periods per day to supervision work
and that the recitation periods be as much
as forty minutes each.
Our attendance has never fallen below
this requirement. Our recitation periods
are all forty minutes our enroll
ment exceeds the requirement by law tor
the least possible number to constitute
6rst-class High School Furthermore, we
have about fifteen or eighteen students IN
the Crammer school work that we could
easily promote to the first year high school
work, but since it would necessitate the
organization of new classes in the High
school, and since every teacher has full
schedule we don't want to overwork the
teachers by organizing new classes this late
in the year. Some of the students, in fact
most of them in the Seventh and Eighth
grades are virtually High school students
and have been or will be enrolled as High
school students in the months report to
the county superintendent and to the High
school inspector at Nashville. There are
some of the High school students as well
as others that maintain spirit OF indltfer-
ence toward school and school work and
whose attendance for some time has been
rather irregular and as result their grades
are very low. Some of them are absent
on examination days. Their daily average
is averaged at the end of the month and if
they do not take the monthly tests, this
cuts their average down halt.
There seems to be some complaint about
the progress the children are making in
school. This comes from the over credu-
lous and misinformed, and those who do
not understand the attitude of their children
toward school work and who have never
been about the school, and know nothing
about it. There is always an element in
every community that is always finding
fault with everybody and with everybod US
business and that have not intelligence
enough to enable them to differentiate
between tomfoolery, tommyrot. popycock,
picture shows, and real school work.
The school work is moving along just as
pleasantly as could be desired and in per-
feet harmony as tar as faculty and students
are concerned, and we take this occasion 10
to state, with candor of course, that we still
entertain the idea that the faculty is yet
capable of running that part OF its business
without any outside help or gossip IAN
idle brain is the devils workshop" is
quotation that still holds true.
OCCASIONAL some one in the community
has offered some comment in something
some member of the faculty says or
has said at chapel take this occasion to
advise the public, or at least the super
stitious and misinformcd, that nothing has
been said from the platform of the High
school that should have in any way offended
the most fastidious, however sensitive, cul-
tured and refined they may be. Worse
things have been said from many pulpit
by ministers than have been said at High
school chapel. ",