Imperial Valley press., 1930-04-21
PUBLIC SCHOOLS WEEK

Last week newspapers and civic lead
ers were urging the people of this city
to go to the polls as one of the duties of
citizenship. This week they are urged
to go to the schools of the city to show
that they are interested in our educa-
tional system, for this is Public Schools
Week.
1t has been pointed out frequently,
that adults give very slight attention to
school affairs, if indeed they give any.
This is rather odd, when one considers
that most of us like to look back on our
school days as the happiest period of our
lives, and also because the greater part
of our tax dollar is used to support the
schools
Most of US are inclined to believe that
the United States is just a few steps in
advance and a whole lot better than any
other nation. We would be poor Ameri-
cans indeed if we did not think So If we
seek an answer to the question, 'Why has
the United States becomes such an as
founding success in a century and
half?" the answer is to be found in our
public schools.
From the earliest times education has
been a paramount interest with Amerl-
cans. Hardly had the early colonists and
the developers of the west chosen a place
for their town, before a school house was
built
Poor it might be, and offering only an
apology for an education, but it was at
least an effort, and even if it did not go
beyond the familiar 'Three RS, it ac-
complished untold good.
Free education has been the real reason
for the prosperity and development of
the United States. Other countries have
been as richly endowed with natural re-
sources, but have been unable to develop
them because of lack of education on
the part of most of their inhabitants.
In older countries education was for
the prosperous-for those who could at
ford to pay for it. The rest went ignor-
ant. In many countries this is true even to-
day In America the public school offer
ed the same advantages and oppOrtunl-
ties to the lowest and the highest. The
son of the ditch-digger sits beside the
daughter of the banker, this fact in it
self being one Of the truest signs of the
democracy on which the nation was es-
tablished.
This week, adults are urged to visit
the schools-not only the particular one
in which they may have children, but all
of them. They should do this because
they should know what our schools are
doing. Schools are one civic activity in
which every family n Ell Centre Is inter-
ested, or should be.
If adults cannot be induced to make
visits through an appeal to a sense of
duty, they perhaps can be reached by
telling them that the youngsters have
spirited campaign on, to see which room
in their particular school will have the
greatest number of visitors.
A prize of picture is to be awarded
the lucky rooms, and if adults think the
Youngsters are not working hard to see
that their room is the leader, they just
don't know youngsters. There is sin
cerity and determination about youth
that deserves the fullest encouragement.
Ell Centro youngsters are sincere and de-
termined in this school contest.
Teachers and pupils, backed up by the
school board and the executives, extend
cordial invitation to all Ell Centrans, but
especially parents, to visit the schools be-