Norwich bulletin., 1919-10-11
GIVES REASONS FOR JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

I domestic arts for the girls and there wuld also be commercial and science departments for both boys and girls. This organization would give four courses ot study, viz:
 Academic, which leads to the col | lege preparatory course. Commercial for those desiring a | business education.
 Manual Arts. Domestic Arts.
 The present grammar school offers only one course--the academic with short courses in wood working and cooking. This means that the pupil i that wishes to. go to the Academy is well prepared but what of the other 50 per cent who do not not or cannot go to the Academy? Pupils who are not academicadly inclined leave school l at an early age because they take no interest in that line of work. Given an opportunity to take manual, do- nestle or commercial courses many of these pupils would complete the three years of the Junior High School and thus be much better prepared to take up their life work in the community. This renewed interest in school. work tends to hold the pupils in school and more would finish the ac- adem1c work than do at the present time. Many pupils at the adolescent age get discouraged and drop out of school. This organization plans to bridge over this time in childs life ito hold them in school until they see the real value of an education. Approximately two hundred pupils leave the public schools during the
 sixth, seventh and eighth grades Another hundred who gradua>e from the grammar schools do not enter the
 Academy. Should not some provision
 be made to give these pupils what
 they desire and need so as to hold
 them in school? Wherever these
 schools are in operation a marked
 increase in attendance is reported.
 successful schools ot this type are be-
 ing maintained and operated in
 Springfield, Mass, Sommerville, Mass,
 Chelsea, Mass, and Concord, N H.
 Boston and abo = 20 adjacent cities
 are organizing o.l this plan.
 The state Of Vermont is reorganiz-
 ing it's school system along this line.
 Rochester, N. r., has had one school in operation for more than five years Another $650,000 building is nearly completed and the city has voted an appropriation of $S00,O00 for a third
 building. This shows what Rochest- CT thinks of the plans. Buffalo, a sister city, is spending s9,o00, ,OO0,O00 on school buildings, including Junior High schools. Montclair and New err.A N. J., have successful schools in opera ton.
 The junior high school organization IS aleracy in operation in Bridgeport, South Norwalk and New Britain. New London, with a vocational school al- ready in operation, has recently voted a S500,0O0 appropriation for junior high school.
 This partial list of cities having this Dian in operation, proves that it is l well past the experimental stage
 o- .vIcn can build, equip, operate | and pay for such a building with ap- proX1mate tely a two-mill tax by iSSu- ing serial bonds extending over a pe- rlod Of thirty years. retiring annually l one s10,000 bond. This plan lets the | 'FNnera ton that benefits by this school l help to pay for it. Surely the town 1 t-----.0~ ..Aurd 10 withhold from it's | children such advantages as this school would offer.
 The plans which are being shown | Tor the proposed building were drawn | up during the summer by a New | fork architect and presented to the ] school committee free of charge for | advertising purposes. They are by | no means permanent, plans but serve |
 tiie community what such a l building would contain They may be 1 44l the Boston Store windows
 In the proposed plan, the building would have on the ground floor which is dropped little below the level of the ground, rooms for wood | printing, drawing, cooking millinery, fitting, sewing and model living apartment, and also the boys and girls cafeteria. On this floor would also be the auditorium and the gym naSium.
 On the first floor there would be thirteen class rooms, dental clinic and medical examination room, super intendent's and principals rooms board room. study half and teachers rooms.
 On the second floor would be seven class rooms, and the rooms for book keeping, banking, stenography, type writing, chemistry biology and physics