Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-01-14
COUNTY SCHOOLS
ADVANCE DURING
THE PAST YEAR

A marked progress has been made
by the district schools of Bernalillo
county during the past year, not only
in the physical equipment of the
buildings, but in attendance. in
knowledge of the English language,
and above all in the interest taken by
the parents in the work of their chill
dren, and in the attendance of the
children themselves.
The mountain schools particularly
are being built up. and the parents of
the children have in several instances
offered and contributed labor in the
construction of new buildings Two
schools at Yrissari in district 81,
where the only place available for the
school was in the homes were cOnsol-
idated. and now a nice little building
has been erected, while two wagons
are in use to bring the children from
distances.
In district As in Tijeras canyon
night school is held three times a
week, and there bearded men learn
TO read and write English, and sing
My County 'Tis of Thee" with earn
est fevor. There are fifteen adults,
parents of the children and others
gathered from the rural Spanish
American communities. The parents
are eager to have the children learn
English, and requests have been made
that they be forced to speak only
English on the playground. 1t has
been found that games help a great
deal.
There is not a school without a
blackboard, and in the spring a tree
planting campaign will be started, en-
couraging the setting out of trees not
only around the schools but at the
homes.
The teachers try to get into close
personal touch with the parents. and
the parent-Teacher association has
proved a very helpful thing. In dis
trict Is a Spanish-American woman is
president of the Parent-Teacher as
ISOLATION, and all of the Spanish
American women voted at the lasl
school election. One woman at Los
Padillas ran for school director but
was unfortunately defeated
Twice as many women as men voted
last May at Ranches de Albuquerque,
district 4. Mrs. J. w. Wilson, county
superintendent, to make sure that no
woman's vote would be challenged,
sent each voter a copy of the written
statement of the law, and the response
from the women proved beyond ques-
ton the interest felt by the Spanish
American women in school questions
and in the education of their children.
Women were also responsible for
the carrying out of the 5000 bond
issue in district %. including the
North Fourth street and Old Town
schools. The women saw that the
voters got to the polls by taking them
there in automobiles. They took ad-
vantage of the fact that anyone can
vote for the schools without being Il
taxpayer. Electric lights were also
put in the North Fourth street school
by the Parent-Teachers association,
which is a particularly active one.
At Christmas time a number of the
patrons of the rural schools gave
Christmas trees and candy to the dis
trict schools; in the mountains the
boys cut their own trees, which in
several cases were decorated by some
henefactor as the children We're I'M
able to contribute anything and would
have had no Christmas at all had it
not been for the school celebration.
A need as important in the rural
schools as in the city, if not more so,
will be filled by the county nurse, who
will furnish another link between the
home and the school. Mrs. Wilson
has been working on the securing of
this nurse for some time and hopes to
find the right person within a few
days The nurse will examine the
children preparatory to a visit from
the county physician. and will also
be able to vaccinate them.
She will orgaeize classes in the
homes of the mothers, where her most
valuable and preventive work will be
done. Mrs. Wilson has received let
ter from DR. c. E. Waller, commits
sioner state department of health,
heartily endorsing her plans for a
county nurse. whose assistance will
greatly facilitate the work of the
county physician in examining chill
dren. The county schools will thus
come under the state and federal aid
law.
Hot lunches for children who are
too far away from home to return at
noon will be provided for under the
new plan 1t is stated by authorities
on children that they require the
stimulant Of warm food during the
winter to develop as they should
The present system as outlined will
be pursued during the year 1920 with
the aim of bringing the advantages of
the city to the child who lives in the
rural districts, so that he will not be
handicapped for good education as
far as the district school can take him.
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