The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1918-06-01
FULL COURSE IN
AGRICULTURE
COLVILLE HIGH SCHOOL TO GIVE
A COMPLETE COURSE IN
AGRICULTURE
Instructor to Serve Twelve Months in
the Year, arO Students to Give
at Least Half Their Time


portance to the people of Colville and
vicinity who are interested in educa-
tional matters has been quietly assum-
ing shape under the direction of the
school board Of Union Dist. No. 3.
Under law recently passed by con-
gress known as the Smith-Hughes act
| federal fund has been established
| for the encouragement of vocational
training in agriculture, trade and in
| dustry, and home economics. Under
| this act the federal government sets
aside a definite fund which increases
gradually for ten years and is made u
permanent feature Of federal assist
ance to education in public schools of
lower than college grade.
This fund is being administered in
each state by state board for voca-
tional education which works under
the direction of the federal agents for
the particular district in which it may
be located. The state director for
Washington is Chas. R. Frazier, for
merly superintendent of the city
schools of Everett. H. M. Skidsore
Of the State College at Pullman has
charge of the agricultural division of
the work and has been in correspond
ence for some time with the Colville
school board with view to having the
union high school take advantage of
this fund.
School on Approved List =.
1t is expected that the number of
schools that will be allowed this fed
eral support for teaching agriculture
in the state will be limited to eight
or ten, and it is certainly gratifying
to the friends and patrons of the Col
vile high school that their district
has been recognized as qualifying on
the list. Professor Skidmore visited
| Colville few days ago and was en-
tertained at luncheon at Hotel Col
vile by the members of the board
The new plans were fully discussed
and the board completed the formali-
ties required to place the district in
line. 1t is expected that within short
time the work will be fully estab-
lished
The scheme of education proposed
under the Smith Hughes act is a radi-
cal departure from many of the old
established methods followed in the
usual high school. While three dis
tinct lines may be undertaken-agri-
culture, trade and industry, and home
economics-most schools will limit
their efforts to one or two of these
lines. At present the local school will
undertake only the work in agricul-
ture, but later will probably make ap-
plication for home economics.
| Professor E. E. Elliott is to be in
charge of the agricultural work here,
and the north half of block % of the
Meyers addition has been leased for
experimental work and is now planted.
A District Department
The new plan proposes to make ag-
riculture a distinct and prominent
feature of the school course of study.
Those electing to take this course will
put in fully half their time in the
study of some branch of the subject
under the direct supervision Of the
instructor. The unusual feature Of
the instruction is to be found in the
carrying out of what are called "home
projects" in which each student is re-
quired to put in certain amount of
time each day. These "home pro-
jects" will consist of all sorts of defi
mite lines of work related to agricul-
ture, and are intended to connect d
rectly the student and the farm.
Where students are not from the
farms or are unable to conduct pro-
ject in connection with their homes,
provision will be made for the work
to be carried on elsewhere. These
"home projects" will necessarily be
controlled by the character of the work
proposed and many of them will be
carried on during the summer months
while the student is out of school. In
order to insure the proper carrying
out of the plans the law requires that
the instructor in charge shall be en-
ployed for the entire year and shall
supervise these students as often as
may be necessary. Credit is to be al
lowed the student for such summer
work, as we'll as for the work during
the school year.
That this new work will prove a
great attraction to incoming students
is already demonstrated by the fact
that no less than a dozen students
have already registered the plans for