The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1921-04-28

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tie seven Rutland county contestants
while 2ss words were given 20 the
Bennington county contestants
Fer a time il seemed Il would be i'm
pos BE 70 eliminate two Of the last
three contestants but finally Miriam
Watt Of Bennington missed on the
word "eanvas" and with bat two left
Il took but a short time 70 close the
contest VITA Isabel Holt of Manches-
ter, winning first place. ard Doris
gduires Of Arlington second place
By the Bennington County Vermont
Improvement Association two cash
prizes Of five dollars and two dollars
and a half were given the two win
ming the highest honoas.
The notable features Of the prelim-
may examination, a written test OF
25o words given by the state super
visor, ]. d. Whittier, throughout the
I rec counties, were the 100 per cent
success Of Doris Squires in Miss LAX
ms school, the temporary tie between
Isabel Holt and Helen Adams in Miss
Msrden's room--both misspelling a
single word,-and the good work OF
Edgar Pierce in Miss Beecher's school
who mispelled but two words.
Great credit is due both the pupils
and their present teachers, but Il Is
only fair to recognize that Of par
ents and former teachers, as well.
Mr Phillips Of the Rutland city
schools, gave out the words to the con
testants while the committee Of judg-
es consisted Of the following Teachers
Tr.ining Class Instructors: MISS
Mary Sullivan Of Vergennes, Miss
Marjorie Meiklijohn Of Poultney;
Miss Gertrude Richardson Of Bran
don.
The counties furnished contestants
as follows;
Addison - Eva swinor, Gabrielle
Choiniere, Marion Johnson, Marguer-
tie Arenelle, George Thompson.
Beanington-Clara Paddock, Miri-
am Watt. Doris Squires, Ruth Foster,
Olive Niles Charles Harwood Isabel
Holt, Theresa Walsh.
-Emeline Freeborn, Valna
Bosworth, Edith Fish, Katie Bertolina,
Winifred Jones, Tony Luciani, jerome
Towers.
The complete list Of the contestants
from this county is as follows: Clara
Paddock, Miriam Watts, Doris Squir-
es. Ruth Fcster ol.e Niles Charles
Harwood, Isabel Holt and Theresa
walsh The 19 words by which the
contestants were spelled down are Of
interest. The first contestant TO 90
down misspelled the third word given,
accommodates" the second misspelled
the thirty-ninth word, "amateur;" the
third. the forty-seventh word, "area; =
after which the words were as fol-
lows: argument, assassin, barely be-
siege, colonel, compass, contagious
debate. definite, compass, contagious,
aeinary, opportunity, principle can
vas, and council.
These contests "motivate," or ennv-
en-. the interest in the spelling OF the
elas-room to such an extent as to
moro than repay the effort spent and
Il Is now planned TO motivate drill IN
other subjects in the same way. For
example, mental drill in the four fun
damentals Of arithmetic can be made
more interesting by employing the old
puzzle example such as TO II add 49,
divide by s, take 10 away, multiply
by 10. add 7 and give the result.
Again contests in, silent reading com
bined with written composition all
selections being from material sup
posedly new to the contestants, can be
Judged on the speed and quality
shown. Or, two pupils may compose
a team which will compete with other
teams in oral reading and rcproduc-
tion.
Competition is the life Of trade
and where wisely administered, be
comes friendly rivalry in the school
voonn