Norwich bulletin., 1917-03-24


 Friday evening the members of the Chamber -ofs Commerce of Norwich. Conn.,, Inc-s endorsed the recommend- ation of the committee on vocational education that a reorganization of the, seventh and eighth grades of the local public schools be made on distinc- lively pre-vocational basis in the in- terests of the boys and girls whose ed
 ucation is in the care of the school authorities. In their report which appeared in The Bulletin early in the week the committee. Rev. Joseph H. Selden, Robert McNeeiy and Frank H. Smith, stated that it would seem to be- unwisee to raise at this time the question of instituting in Norwich a strictly vocational school.
 The meeting was held in the large ball in the Chamber of Commerce building on Main street and was ono of the most enthusiastic representa- tions- of the membership that has ever assembled in 2. Chamber of Commerce meeting. President Charles V. James called the meeting to order about g o'clock and after the minutes of the previous meeting had been accepted, Secretary H. R. Branche presented his quarterly report which was also &C., septed.
 .+.. Secretary's Quarterly Report.
 The report showed that the presi- the chamber at the January and Feb ruarX meetings of the state chamber, at six legislative hearings in Hart ford, at the Eastern Connecticut meet ing in New London. at the Food Roads meeting in New London. at the Feb ruary meeting of the New England Commercial Executives at Manchester. N. H.. and the secretary has also vis- ited Brockton, Mass. in the interests of the chamber.
 The report shows the following mat ters in committee:
 l. Spur track extension up Falls av- enue, paint up and clean up cam paign, public market, vocational ed- ucation in the public schools. erect ing suitab b1e markers on state high ways. An invitation has been eX- tended the State Board of Agricul- ture to hold the next corn fair at Nor W1ch. '7 f
 President James spoke of his visit. to New Britain where he attended a ban quet of the New Britain Chamber. At the banquet. Goodwin A. Rhet, presi- the United States was the principal speaker. - Forty Eight New Members.
 The report of the treasurer was heard and accepted and the report Of the membership committee. J. M. Lee chairman showed a total of 4S new names added to the roll. The follow ing were appointed a membership committee from April 1: '5'-'. L, NJ. 1Crandall. chairman, A. E. Story. D. $. Haviland. Lucius Briggs. Carl w. Brown, Joseph A. George, Fred L. Newton, Lee Roy Robbins and James J. Moore.
 The report of the committee on vo- cational education which has been trfbuted to the members was present ed for approval. Rev MT. Seiden re- viewed the report at length and ex- plained a number of questions asked by the members. in regard to the pre- vocational or Intermediate school
 At the suggestion of Rev. MT. Sel- den Superintendent of Schools Ed ward J. Graham was called upon for an outline of the work that would be carried On in a pre-Voca tional school MT Graham spoke of the wonderful results being accomplished in Ro- chester. Said NIT. Graham: r-s
 Rochester submits the following in defense of the Intermediate school: It has increased the number of pu- pills by 15 per cent. who have finish = | ed the grammar school course of eight years. This speaks well for the re- duction of ae,iminations from the sev- | enth and eighth grades. 1t. has increased from 51 per cent. to 94 1-2 per cent. the number of pupils who have taken up the high school | work. | It has thus far produced a much saner distribution of high school pu- pills. Before the introduction of the | preXocational work, the distribution of the high school pupils was 66 per cent. | in the general or college preparatory courses, 27 per cent. in the commercial tcourses and only per cent. in the in dustrial and household arts courses, the distribution of the ninth year pupils \ in the intermediate school Is B per cent in the general or college prepara- | tory courses, B per cent. in the conn l mercial courses, and 34 per cent. in the ! industrial and household arts courses
 Favorable to Reorganization. l MT Graham expressed himself as | favorable to the reorganization of the seventh and eighth grades as recon mended by the committee. Mir. Gra- l ham said that nearly 100 pupils drop out of school every year in Norwich at the end of the, eighth grade, anoth- CT 100 leave during the. last three l and nearly 25 more during the first l year of the Academy course. This \ means that we lose from our schools l approximately 225 pupils before being | in school long enough to accomplish any thing worth while. If this com bined number of children who now 1 leave school every year in Norwich prepared for doing nothing in partic- 1 under one roof beginning at-the sev- enth grade, the effect would be- first, 1 to hold in school throughout the eighth | grade and high school many of those ! | years or at the end of. the grammar school course. Second to give them all
 a far more valuable preparation for practical life than is now possible. At about the age of twelve years the child reached the adolscent period. At this time they begin to differ markedly in their tastes and capaci- ties. Conscious reasoning power de- l velops; and to attempt longer to tea oh them all, everything in these grades. or which may proitab1y be offered | there is a grievouS waste of the pu- pi1s' time. the teachers energy and 1 the peoples money. ,. ] Because of these growing differences between pupils, to compel them to re- peat subjects which they have mas l tered, merely because they have fail ed in other subjects in the same grade I is to cultivate apathy, lack of interest and distaste for school. : 1 A large per centage of those who | leave school during the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth years are boys, and it