The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1920-12-23
State Normal School,
Minot, N. Oak.
TO Members Of the Legislature
from Northwestern North Dakota:

10 MemDerS OF the Legislature
from Northwestern North Dakota:
Gentlemen:
I take the liberty of addressing you
in behalf Of the State Normal School
at Minot. As representatives from
this part of the State you will want
to know how you can satisfactorily
bring before the legislature the inter-
ests of this institution. And you
have right to expect that those i'm
mediately in charge Of the institution
will assist you by giving you informa-
ton regarding the school and its needs.
The school is now in it's eighth year.
At the present writing it is giving in
strlction to three hundred and eighty
different persons. Two hundred of
these are pupils in. it's model school
and one hundred and eighty are stu
dents in the Normal proper. On an
average the school has instructed at
least $50 persons daily thruout the
seven years of it's existence. That
means, Of course, that in this time
thousands of young men and women
of Northwestern North Dakota have
come under the influence of the in
stitution and gone into all parts of
this region to be better teachers of it's
boys and girls. The value of this
service can not be overestimated. The
present and future prosperity and hap
piness Of our children is absolutely
dependent upon their intelligence. And
they can not become properly intelli-
gent without first-class schools,
taught by intelligent teachers. A
teacher must of course be master Of
the subjects she teaches. But Mt is
of still greater Importance that she
Knoxville. the times in which we live,
and the significance of current events.
Otherwise she can not make her pupils
intelligent. If the blind lead the blind,
both fall into the ditch.
The function OF the Minot Normal
School is thus very clear. 1t exists
that the boys and girls of North
WESTERN North Dakota may have bet
ter schools and through these schools
become more intelligent and efficient
citizens of the state. This function
it has. been endeavoring faithfully to
perform during the seven years of it's
existence
Having rendered service of this sort
for many years the school now feels
that it merits better equipment. For,
seven years it has done it's work in
an unfinished building. The west
wing, the want of which mars the APP
pearance Of the main building and
seriously handicaps the work of the
school, should now be built
The various departments for which
the west wing was. originally designed
are now crowded into cramped quart
ers in other parts Of the building. This
situation hampers their own work and
interferes with the work of other de-
ypartments. One serious consequence
of this crowding has been the elimina-
ton Of an auditorium. The school
is forced to use for this purpose the
gymnasium, which is down in the base
ment and which was never designed
for an auditorium. And the school
has much need for an auditorium. The
entire school assemblies daily. The
school often gives entertainments to
which it invites the public. The school
regularly entertains school associat-
tions Of various kinds which are at
tended by representatives from all
parts Of this region. The main build
ing as originally planned was to have
an auditorium Immediately above the
gymnasium. Plans and speci6ca tons
for this auditorium are already at
hand and the auditorium should now
be built.
The west wing and the auditorium
are the two present major needs Of