Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-11-21
!llliiass! q. Swenson, County
Nulse In Charge. Of the
Work, Which Is Part OF a.
National Movement to Pro-
Z 3 note Health Among School
Children; 81 Rural Schools
Have Been Organized As
Units, While 868 Health.
Crusaders Have Been En-
rolled.

There was a time when educators
thought that to master the three RS
reading, writing and 'rithmetic, was
all that could be expected Of child
ren$in the grades, which then meant
The little red school house, The
pupirs physical and social welfare
Wersg matters Tor which the parents
were solely responsible. The possible
exception was probably when the
ach took each pupil into the
asFcloak room" for the annual inspec-
ton with the fine comb.
But times have changed. The cur
rlculum has been enlarged, but bet
Gter yet. he responsibility toward the
SchtH, as a social unit of the COM
munity, is more keenly felt and shar-
6edaby all. There is a broader reali-
zation that the welfare and progress
of the child also means the welfare
q which it is a member. The efforts
sof the educators are not limited
merely to tho intellectual develop
ment of the child, but they have also
taken it upon themselves to care for
and protect the chfld's physical be-
Inc. This latter phase OF the school
system is of paramount Importance,
Tor it Is self-evident that no matter
now many intellectual accomplish
ments the child may have attained, it,
Ms greatly handicapped if it's body is
diseased, under-nourished or unde-
5veloped.
This County First
Speaking of health work in schools,
Miss Beatrice tombstone, county sup
erintendent of schools for ) Grand
Forks county, recently said that this
county has the distinction Of being
the first county in the United States
to v a rural school nurse. Miss
Mable Fodness was the nurse, and
h began her duties among the chill
dren in 1915. At present Miss Eve
IN Swenson has charge Of the work.
h succeeded Miss Fodness, but lat.
er answered the call Of the flag for
army nurses, and spent ten months
in army camps in this country, gar
Ing Tor convalescing war veterans. In
the meantime Miss Marguerite Fox,
now Mrs: Floyd Dean, of Hatton.
took up the work. Miss Swenson re-
sumed her duties in this county this
fall. A Herald reporter was curious
to know how the work was progress
ling and what really was being ccOm
plished, n so interviewed Miss
Swenson.h He found her trimming
over with enthusiasm and love for
her work.
Miss Swenson's modesty in not
wanting TO discuss those intimate de-
tails of the work in which she played
a part, and perhaps not a small part
either, made it difficult to gather
some of the most vital facts, but Miss
Swenson was very responsive in tell
ing about the work of the pupils of
the various schools, among whom she
works, and of the splendid co-opera-
ton of the teachers INC parents.
TITS a joy to work with the child
rem" Miss Swenson said, they are
20 willing n enthusiastic, and it is
surprising how quickly they grasp the
idea of the Health crusade move
8inent.
Modern Health Crusade
1t might be explained that the work
Sof the school nurse. has taken on a
new aspect this fall. It has become
part of a national movement called,
1.-THE Modern Health Crusade which
is sponsored by the National Tuber-
culosis association of New York City.
The North Dakota State Tuberculosis
association is a member body of this
national organization and aids the
various counties in the state. which
shave Joined, to carry on the work.