The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1919-04-10

schools visited showed splendid re-
suits from such training.
Confined to Elementary Grades.
These one-teacher schools usually
have an enrolment of from fifteen
to twenty-five pupils. The instruc-
tion is confined to the eight elemen-
tary grades. Only the children of the
most well-to-do farmers have any
high school instruction. The chill
dren whose parents can afford the
expense to board in town and attend
the town high school, The people
of Minnesota realize that the one
teacher school cannot attempt ad
vanced work without doing injury to
the elementary. 1t is for this reason
that consolidation is making so great
progress, that all the children in the
country have as good school oppor-
tunities as the children in the towns
enjoy.
1.-The plan in promoting consoli-
dation in Minnesota is, therefore, to
organize in the consolidated district
a sufficient number of one-teache1
school districts to provide high
school with modern methods of in
struction as we'll as well-taught
elementary school. On his trip Of
inspection the rural school supervis-
or visited six of these consolidated
schools, half day being spent at
each.
Consolidated School at Lewiston.
Zone of the best of these schools is
Lewiston. Lewiston is a town with
about 500 inhabitants. When the
consolidation was made four country
districts came into the consolidated
district with the town. The con-
solidated school is now about 13 years
old. There are in the school ten
teachers; four are in the elementary
grades and the others are in the higi,
school or are special teachers. There
are 1876 pupils in the eight elemen-
tary grades and seventy-five in the
high school. 1t is observed, there
fore, that the enrolment in the high
school classes is about the same as
the enrolment in the elementary
grades, which makes the school one
that is remarkable for its holding
power. Under the old one-teacher
school conditions very few of these
high schools pupils would have had
high school advantages. About half
the pupils enrolled at Lewiston are
hauled in the four transportation
wagons, and the greatest distance
that any pupil travels is five miles.
In the elementary grades the pupils
are thoroughly taught; and in the
high school in addition to English
history, and mathematics, subjects
found in every high school, science
is we'll taught with laboratory equip
ment, and special teachers are pro-
vided for domestic science, sewing,
manual training, and agriculture. A
splendid equipment for the success
full teaching of agriculture was
found. 1t was strange to South
Carolina visitor to learn that no Lat
in was taught in this school. The
school building at Lewiston was
erected when the consolidation was
made. While it affords good class
room and laboratory accomm oda-
tions, it is not now large enough to
supply every demand of the school
and community as a community GEN.
ter. Plans are now under way for
the enlargement of the building.
Pay Well for the Benefits.
"For the support of this school the
State supplies out of the State school
fund and the State one-mill tax s6
for every pupil that attends school
forty days. In addition the State
pays the transportation costs up TO
a maximum of $4,000, for the teach
ing of agriculture $1,000, and $500
for the consolidation. The district
special levy of ordinary support is
fourteen mills on an assessment of
approximately 100000. The special
district tax at Lewiston was the low
est of any school visited on this tour.
All of which shows that while the
people recognize the great benefits
that come to their children from con-
solidation they are paying handsome
ly for these benefits. Nowhere, how
ever, was there an indication that
they are paying grudgingly.
"The most expensive school plant
visited was at Okabena. This build