Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1919-05-23


recreation room, which is some
times used for classroom purposes.
The expenses Of these alterations
were betrayed from the proceeds of
the farm and the alterations were
made very largely by the students at
the school. The basement of this
building is designed for creamery
In the rear of the administration
building and connected with it, is
building originally designed for rid
ing ring. The lower floor of this
building makes an ideal room for
stock Judging, while the upper floor
can be finished off into an assembly
hall and gymnasium that will easily
accommodate 500 people.
The Curriculum.
The curriculum at the Theodore
N. Vail Agricultural School and
Farms covers twelve consecutive
months and a boy when he has com
pleted this period is given a di-
ploma. 1t is possible for a boy to
enter at the beginning of any month
and continue his course so long as he
can remain at the school. If for any
reason a student is obliged to leave
the school temporarily, he can re-
turn and complete his course at any
time, provided that in so doing the
twelve consecutive months are Gov
cred. In brief, the object of
this course is that boy at the The
odore N. Vail Agricultural School and
Farms shall have the farm expe-
rience that is apt to arise in each
month of the year and the instruction
applicable thereto. The course of
study is organized about the activ-
tiles that are important on the farm at
any given time. For this purpose
the students are divided into four
groups. The students remain in each
group for one week. One group is
concerned for a week primarily with
instruction about the dairy An
other group is concerned for week
primarily with instruction about farm
crops. A third group is concerned
with miscellaneous activities on the
farm. such as the care of sheep, poul-
try and swine, orcharding, shop work,
repair of buildings, tools, etc. A
fourth group works on the main farm
under the direct supervision Of the
farm superintendent. This work is
done for wages and is designed to
test the efficiency of the instruction
received in the school. The main
farm also furnishes opportunities for
students to learn the slaughtering OF
animals, the care of sick animals, the
training of colts and oxen, and other
activities of like nature. At the be-
ginning of each week the groups
change Those who have been in
group one take up the work previ-
ously done by group two, and so on.
No textbooks are required, but the
library is we'll supplied with standard
works on farming and whenever a
problem is encountered in the farm
work, the student is referred to a
passage in some text book directly
applicable to the problem at hand.
The boys are also taught English,
farm arithmetic and a simple form
Of civics designed to inculcate the
principles of good citizenship.
Tuition.
{ Vermont boys attending this school
! are not charged any tuition Boys
from outside the State are charged a
tuition of $50 a year. All boys are
{ expected to furnish their own tow
els, bed linen, blankets, etc, to pay
the expenses of laundering the same
: and are charged S. per week for
board and lodging except for the
week in which they work for wages
During the week in which the boys
are working. they receive their
! board and lodging free of charge and
are paid at the rate of from $50 to
, $40 a month, according to the nature
of their employment and their abil-
, ity 1t is also possible on Saturdays
of the other weeks for the boys to
work at from fifteen to twenty cents
an hour and throughout the twelve
4 months of the school course all boys
{ who so desire are able to work for
compensation about the farm or in
the dormitory during the hours in
which they are not engaged in schoo
. work 1t is safe to say that any boy
who is willing to work will be able
. during the year to earn from three
quarters to the entire amount OF his
expenses for the years instruction
: at this school. This policy was one
of the conditions made by Mr.. Vail in
his deed of gift to the State Of Yer
mont and has been strongly empha-
sized by the teachers at the Theodore
N. Vail Agricultural School anc
Farms and by the members Of the
State Board of Education ever since
they took over the management Of
! this school.
Requirements for Admission.
The requirements of admission tC
this school are strictly in accord
= with the conditions set down in the
deed Of gift which states: THE re
quirement for admission to such
school not to be so eXacting as tt
, exclude anyone who has fair, sub
stantial primary education and who
I shows in his work and study, industry
and application" OF the graduating
class Of 1918, consisting of fifteer
members, thirteen went back to farm
u work one found employment in man
ufacture of farm implements and one
enlisted in the army
. The State School Of Agriculture a
= . Randolph Center.
1 This school has an acreage of ap'
o. proximately 172 acres. 1t may bt
, divided as follows: Pasture and SUI