The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1917-08-30
COUNTY'S RURAL
School EXHIBITS
SHOW UP fine
HOUSED IN SPLENDID NEW
BUILDING ERECTED ON
THE FAIR GROUNDS
CHILDREN RAISE THE Money
NEARLY EVERY SCHOOL CON.
TESTED FOR PRIZES-LIST
OF WINNERS. /,

Housed in it's own new build
ing-the finest on the fair grounds
the sixth annual rural and semi
graded school exhibit was opened to
the public here today. The building,
frame structure 72x36x12 with ce-
ment floor and display partition, is a
result of the efforts put forth three
years ago by Superintendent William
A. Boerger, when he solicited and re-
ceived from the school officers of the
county their unanimous endorsement
to the plan of erecting rural school
exhibit building on the fair grounds
at Sank Centre. The means to this end
were to consist of entertainments and
socials under the management and di-
rection of the teachers in the various
districts. In this manner a total Of
$1,498.54 was raised. The building
costs 1920, and the surplus will be
put into the interior equipment, so
that the building and everything with
in it will be the product of the rural
and semi-graded schools of Stearns
county.
The first district to send in it's con-
tribution to building fund was the one
at ST. Augusta. Sister Verena Braegel-
mann O. S. B.was then the principal
(as she is today,) and she, with her
able assistants, has always taken a
great interest in the school exhibits
at the county fair, the St. Augusta
school winning the first prize every
time but once. The township Ct
Farming leads in the total amounts,
while District Number 70 in the town.
ship of Fair Haven contributed the
largest single amount. The names of
the teachers, together with the num-
bers of the districts arranged by
townships, appear on a large framed
placard, hung upon the wall of the
exhibit building. The structure has
been presented to the Fair Associa-
ton by Supt. Boerger and will remain
as a permanent unit of the exhibit.
Of the 1919 schools in the county
Ill placed work on exhibition, and Of
these GA received awards, several
prizes going to one school in num-
Der of instances. The rural one-room
schools were in competition with the
larger village schools, and the re-
suits show that they are well able to
hold their own against their semi
graded competitors. The ten two-and
three-room schools won 88 prizes,
while 157 awards went to pupils of
the rural one-room schools. In all
there are 1850 individual exhibits on
display, and while some of the work
is, in the very nature Of things, less
meritorious, there is not poor piece
of work shown; every piece on the
walls of the rural school exhibit
building shows an earnest effort to
produce the very best.
The largest exhibit is that of ex-
amples and statements in Arithmetic.
An actual count shows that 5,799 ex-
amples were solved by the pupils in
the 327 individual exhibits. This GER
tainly proves, among other things, the
great desire of the Americans to be
"good at fggers." The problems
range from examples in the third
grade involving the intricacies of long
divisions, up to exacting taxation
questions in the eighth grade; and it
is worthy of note that Of the fifteen
prizes offered in Arithmetic, only
four were won by pupils in the semi
graded institutions, all the others be-
ing captured by boys and girls from
the country schools. The next largest
exhibit is that of penmanship, in
which the rural and semi-graded
schools broke about even in the mat
ter of prizes.
Nowhere is painstaking effort more
plainly shown than in the historical
booklets on the presidential admins
trations. There is not an inferior one
in the entire lot, and though their
preparation required months of study,
review and compilation, still the in
terest never seemed 70 lag, and tho
results are shown in 46 splendid book
lets whose outer covers are veritatle
declarations of patriotism.
General Exhibits Prizes.
Among the semi-graded schools the
st. Augusta district again leads Oft
with first honors, having captured
nineteen prizes. This is the third
time in four years, and establishes Cor
the st. Augusta school most envi-
able record. An interesting situation
is met with in the honors for second
and third places, respectively. For
three years past the Holdingford