The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-02-16
The Schools Opportunity
Subject of Commission
er's Talk
SUPT. G.. 3. WHITNEY
CHOSEN PRESIDENT
Industrial Course III Springfield High
School Outlined by Supt. II. D. Casey
Boys Spend Part of Time in School
and Part in Shops.


Boys Spend Part of Time in School
and Part in Shops.
An election of officers, address by
State Commissioner of Education Milo
b. Hillegas of Montpelier and depart
mental conferences were the outstand
ing features yesterday afternoon of the
convention Of the Southeastern Yer
mont Teachers association in the Brat
tleboro high school building
\ solo by Ernest Y. Barre introduced
The program, and then followed the re
PORTS Of officers and the election Of the
following officers: President, Supt.
George 4. Whitney Of Townshend; vice
president, Guy W Powers of SaxtonS
River; secretary treasurer, Miss Jessie
.judd of Bellows Fails; executive com
nittec. Supt Harold +. Moffitt of West
Brattleboro, Principal Leon K. McCusic
of Windsor and Miss Eva Bates Of Bel
lows Falls
DIR. Hilegas was the only speaker in
the open meeting and his subject was
The Schools Opportunity. He did not
undertake to give a set address. but
tool, up in an interesting way a variety
Of topics He said that in this crisis
no group of citizens has more dill
cult task than have the teachers. They
are going to be more and more dissat
isfied until they realize the Importance
| of their positions. Unless they work
10 establish the highest ideals for
! which democracy stands they might
i Just as we'll recognize that all their sac
( rtices have been in vain. The school
/ system. he said, was the best organized
I and the best organization in the coun-
/ try.
/ Getting the boys and girls on to the
farms to help this summer is unc i'm
portant aim of the schools. Let the
( taxpayers learn that now, when the
/ need help, it is coming from the
schools. Br. HIillegas said that informa
/ ton which was coming to his Office in
dicate,l taat there would be actual sui
| feriug another year by reason Of the
iood scarcity, aud he placed great en-
pAasis upon the necessity of maxi
mum production this year. Every man
woman, boy and girl must help this
ummcr. and the school support must
be given with greater zeal than last
year.
Dr. Hillcgas emphasized the need oi
giving education to all children Pu
pills who are not in school should be
brought in. Every ignorant person is
q menace 70 the community. II VIC
fail to teach the high ideals Of democ
rae. the ignorant will do MS harm
Patrons of the schools mus change
their methods of uphoiding the teach
"TS. Teachers no longer have 10 vase
their efforts in communities where THEN
aiu of the pupils is 10 get even
Another subject which he took up wa,
that of salaries, which are not AIDE
quate. Expenses have gone on incrcaS
ing, but the salaries of the teacher
mas remained substantially tAe same.
In the afternoon high school con
ference Supt. III. y. Casey OF Spring
field (Ft.) gave an exposition of tn
cooperative industrial course a
7, worked out in that town, which wa
of particular interest This course j
= available for boys after they hav
+. passed the freshman year aud is a com
. bination of school and shop work. coy
cring q period of three years Tn
: boys are divided into groups of tive an
'ae boy works two weeks in a sho
while the other is in school. Then III
boy in the shop takes two weeks @
school work and vice versa. doing cA
actly the same kind OF work.
The shop course begins with III
mpler machines and the student
given more important work as he a.
Felops capacity for IT, During tn
iIrst year he receives - cents an hou
in the second year Is cents an hour an
IN the third year % cents an hour III
course has averaged - members Tw
classes have graduated, comprising
Young men, and FIVE Of these are
college and the rest have good pos
tons in the shops, earning from SIS
- a week. \ boy earns about So
Ill the three years Of the course L
mas fair mechanical education by ii
time he graduates, and the shop exp
rlence IS acquired in q trade atmosphe
and not the artificial one Of some
the So-cailcd manual training schoo
The work also is Of practical value
Ill the aspects of discipline and 90.
citizenship. Although the boys a
III school but half the time il is es
mated that they do two-thirds to thr,