The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-10-09
SCHOOLS LAUDED
FOR WAR WORK
Commissioner Hillegas Out
lines Some of the Ac-
complishments
SCHOOLS ORGANIZED
WITHIN ONE WEEK
A Large Army Of Crop Pro-
ducers Was at Once
Formed

OF Education NJ, Is. Hlllegas at the CON
vention of the Vermont Teachers asso-
citation in Montpelier. Mr.. Hillegas said
During the period of the war all eiti-
zens were asked TO render unusual sery-
ices to the government. No one group
or class Of citizens other than the young
men who entered the army can be sin
| gled out and praised for remarkable eff
forts to meet their countrys demands
The farmers of the state responded no
| bly, to the request for increased food
| production. The housewives were equal.
" helpful in their accomplishing efforts
to economic food No group or insti.
tuition responded any more generously in
time and effort than did the teachers
and the public schools of Vermont.
| have been requested to enumerate some
of the more important services rendered
by teachers and pupils.
Within one week from the time that
our country entered the war the schools
OF the state had been organized for the
| purpose of increasing the food supply
The public safety committee of Vermont
manifested their confidence in the i'm.
portance Of the schools activities IN
this matter by voting a credit which
eventually amounted TO $4,000 for the
purpose of assisting in organizing the
work and in moving seed from one part
Of the state to another,
Hon. Fraser Metzger Of Randolph
served without recompense for a period
of several months in organizing and
managing the campaign. Under his
leadership carloads of potatoes were
moved from sections where seed potatoes
were abundant into other sections where
they were unable TO secure them. Many
bushels Of seed beans were also trans,
! ferred During the summer of l0l7 two
carloads OF fruit cans were purchased
and sold at cost to the school children
Of the state.
THE district superintendent OF
schools almost without exception devot.
ed their entire summer to the close SUI.
pervisioa Of this work. Nearly all OF
the rural school teachers and many OF
I those who were engaged in villages and
cities spent much time and energy III
assisting the boys and girls More than
| $50 teachers devoted their entire sum.
mer TO this work and in return received
credit toward their certificate,
Campaign for Food Production,
This was campaign conducted pri'
marily to increase food production. II
! did not seem advisable to call for de.
tailed reports and records other than
those involved in the financial transac-
tions that may have taken place II is
| therefore, impossible to indicate the ex.
act number of boys and girls who were
enrolled in what came to be known as
the Green Mountain Guard 1t is safe
to say that not less than 10000 OF the
pupils below high school assisted in gar
dening food production and food con.
servation during the summer
THE results have been tabulated and
are reasonably accurate. II developed
that during this summer the members
of the Green Mountain Guard produced
at least 2s,69l bushels Of potatoes, 1000
bushels of beans, 1892 bushels Of corn
and canned 49,095 quarts. In addition
to this large quantities Of other yege.
tables were produced,
"The work thus undertaken should not
be confused with school garden activ
tiles. The ehildren's assistance in the
home garden was urged and while many
children had their own gardens, by far
the greater number worked to better
advantage with father and mother.
There Is every reason to believe that
during this first year OF the war the
teachers and children Of Vermont did
more in proportion toward food produc.
tion and conservation than was accom-
plished in any other state.
"At meeting of the department OF
superintendent held in Atlantic City
early in 1918, a school principal from
| one of the New Jersey cities presented
to the convention what was there re-
garded as remarkable achievement in
food production by school children. In
the audience was a superintendent OF
Vermont who represented a city of less
| than one half the size of the New Jersey
place The Vermont superintendent
might have given, had he been privileged
q statement of achievements for his city
which would have surpassed by more
than one-half what had been accom-
plished in the New Jersey city of twice
the size. The speaker in the course OF
his address gave his aims and ambitions
for the coming year, vet these did not
| surpass the achievements of the smaller
Vermont city for the previous year.
ut often happens that some Of the
by-products in school work are of very
great Importance. This was certainly
true of the Green Mountain Guard
There was brought to the home an un-
derstanding and appreciation OF the
needs that confronted the country and
in some instances the school system
particularly of the cities, guided the
people in their efforts to garden. There
are indications that this influence will be
lasting and that the great majority OF
our citizens will continue to utilize the
home garden. The school work itself
was improved through the use Of the
concrete as it developed in the measure.
ment of land, the following of market
reports and the estimate of values
| Teachers and superintendent came into
closer touch with the parents than they
could in any other way.
During the winter of l9l7,lS the
state board of education entered into an
agreement with the extension depart
ment Of the state college of agriculture
by which the Green Mountain Guard
was combined with the boys and girls
club work and the state college of agri'
culture assumed financial obligation foI
proper organization and supervision.
During that year $4,000 children were
enrolled doing $4,000 different pieces OF
work which produced garden produce &c
the value of S72,435o4.