Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1916-12-01
EWISTOWN claims

Il Id WI CldlIuo IuS U6SL
public school system in Mon
- tana, and the best in the
United States for towns in the class
of ten thousand population or under.
Lewistown has 1000 people, and is
a magnet for live wires. One of the
liveliest of those who have been
drawn to the Queen City of the
Judith to help shape its destiny, and
is given credit by the Lewistown
people for the position it's school sys-
tenn holds today is A. A. Frankie,
superintendent of the Lewistown
schools.
MI. Frankie is one of the striking
personalities of Montana. He halls
from Wisconsin, but he would not
go back. AS an educator and Cha
tauqua platform speaker he is well
known in many parts of the country.
His lecture, "The Matchless Book"
fingers long in the memories of those
who have been privileged to hear it.
He is under contract for three years
to speak on the Ellis & White circuit
during the summer months.
Mr.. Frankie is a member of the
Lewistown Rotary club, and there
fore he subscribes to the principle
of "He Who Serves Best Profits
Most" He must find life profitable,
indeed, for none serves better.
"The Lewistown schools?" said Mr..
Frankie in reply to a request for
some information about them.
"Well, that's an easy subject of con-
versation for me. Let's see, though,
where shall I begin?
"To start with, I might say that
the whole aim and object of. the
Lewistown system is TO obtain the
Nth degree of efficiency in our work
of turning out good citizens for our
city and for the state-men and wo-
men with ideals, with a knowledge
of how to perform the every day
tasks of life thoroughly and well,
We are trying to send forth self-re-
liant young men and women with
character developed, for in time our
city and the country around it will
reflect, either for better or for worse,
our school system.
"The Lewistown school district in
clndes a territory about 10 miles
square, and there r several outly-
ing country schools contained in it
The salaries of our teachers average
the highest of any city in the state
and possibly in the United States
We pay 5000 per annum as a mini
mum, and from that to $1,000 fol
grade teachers. We place no limi'
on the amount paid principals. W,
take no grade teachers who have no
completed an advanced norma
school curse and had in addition
two years. experience in grade schoo
teaching. Teachers with these re
quirements start at 5000. and ar,
given $50 per annum more each yea.
until they reach $1,000. All Of GU
teachers receive a check once
month during the year, including va
cation period.
I'VE have more men teachers il
the grades than any city I know OF
One-sixth of our grade teachers ar,
men - college or university gradu
ates. They teach in the grades abov,
the fourth. We have a remarkabl,
fine corps of teachers.
Nov n of the most interesting
departments in our system is manua
training. It might surprise you t.
know that all of our outlying school
are built by boys from the seventh
and eighth grades. And when I sa,
built, I mean exactly that. Thes
youngsters drew the plans, made es
Inmates for materials, s~uperintende
, the assembling of these material
and then put the buildings together
"Our first experiment along thi