Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-07-28
BIC AMBITION
IS REALIZED BY
KANSAS SCHOOL
Town of 500 Had Courses in
Manual Training, DomeS-
tic Science, Agriculture
and Printing.

years ago whvn a fine ten+room
school housa supplanted the Old
weather beaten building that serv-
ed this community for many de-
cades, the following motto was
adopted;
Learning to do,
Doing to earn,
Earning to live,
Living to serve"
1t became known as: "The little
school with the big ambition
With this school as a nucleus, the
community center idea has been
carried out so successfully that the
home folks now are a unit in the
belief that the school has well le-
allied its "big ambition"
In the course of these years the
population of Kincaid has not
greatly increased. 1t Is a little
town of about 500. The cid school
hao a staff of five teachers, two in
the high school, three in the grade
The high school had an enrolment
OF eighteen. This was the school
that M. L. Smith stepped into as
uperintendent in 1913. 1t was
here he began working out his
Ideas on broadening the usefulness
and educational facilities of a small
town school, Mr.. Smith now is head
of the department of school consol-
idation in the Kansas state Normal
school at Emporia-a department
largely created by himself through
his effort in popularizing the con-
solidated school district now being
adopted throughout the state.
Smiths First Move.
Mr.. Smiths first move was to
persuade the Kincaid board to
build a new school house. He
then recognized the school to fit |
the needs of the community. Ex-
ira teachers were employed and a
junior high school was organized. |
Normal training, domestic science,
manual training, agriculture and
printing were added to the curri- !
culum. The library was enlarged |
and additional laboratory equip
ment provided; the playground |
cleaned and equipped for the en-
ioyment of children.
Here is what has happened since |
then:
In eight years there have been
70 graduates of the high school. |
OF this number 46, or about So per
cent, have gone to college. In the |
nine years previous to 1913, there
had been 46 graduates of whom |
81, or 45.6 per cent, went to coll
lege.
The high school normal training
department has kept the two dis
tricts adjoining Kincaid supplied
with teachers,
Girls of the domestic science de-
partment serve formal and COM
dinners, and daily lunches
for the school children.
The manual training department .
made tables for the domestic
science department; tables and
bookcases for the library; play
ground apparatus and tables and
cabinets for the physics laboratory.
The print shop has been put on
a commercial basis and paid for
itself. 1t prints the school paper,
1.-THE Tattler," and the high school
school programs, station
cry, commencement invitations and
the like. This work is done on
Twelve by fourteen job press.
From the printing department,
Twelve graduates are now working
their way through college at the
printing trade and two are en-
ployed regularly as printers.
Operates a Movie Show.
The agricultural department has
sent many to the State Agricultural
college, and many to farms. The
tests seeds for local
farmers, scores stock, and operates
cream separators.
The high school owns and oper-
ltes the only motion picture show
In the town. 1t is well patronized.
The proceeds are turned to school
having paid for the
show apparatus, a piano, talking
a 1000-set OF stereo-
graphs and stereoscopes. and addi-
.ional books to the library.
The school manages a lecture
md entertainment course for the
entire community. Two literary
societies give frequent community
Twenty-Five students from the
high school are attending the Kan
sas State normal summer school,
Many others are students at the
State university, Agricultural col
ege and Pittsburg normal.