OCR Text |
Show I THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION SCHOOL. CWritten for the Intermountain Catholic.) One of the youngest educational institutions in-stitutions in the city yet one which has already reflected much credit upon our parochial school system is the immaculate Conception school. It is situated -on Logan avenue, between be-tween Eighteenth and Nineteenth avenues, av-enues, and for this reason is frequently spoken of as the "Logan Avenue School." Within half a block of the car line it is accessible from all parts of the city, although it is chiefly attended by the children of the Cathedral Parish. The school is large, well lighted and ventilated, and is really one of the fin est in the west. It was the gift of Right Rev. Bishop Machbens, first Bishop of Denver, and certainly no man could desire a more fitting monument. monu-ment. In January, 1891, It was first opened under the management of the Sisters of Loretto. The following September it was taken charge of by the Sisters of Charity of Mt. St. Joseph, Hamilton county, Ohio, who have conducted it ever since. At first but five sisters were engaged and only four rooms used. In these four rooms were taught the eight grades which constitute the grammar school. For the next two S'ears it grew fo rapidly that in 1S93 the high school department was added and in 1S97 the Sisters formed a kindergarten for children chil-dren from three to six years of age. Now there are ten sisters teaching and every room in the building is occupied. oc-cupied. It has been brought to its present degree of perfection through the untiring untir-ing zeal of Bishop Matz and the clergy of the Cathedral. Nothing but the fear of wounding the humility, prompts us to withhold from the sisters the credit we feel is due them. Nevertheless their worth is appreciated by the children who have been fortunate enough to receive at their hands a Catholic education. edu-cation. Now let us glance over the curriculum. curricu-lum. The grammar school comprises all the branches usually studied In the public schools, with the addition of Christian doctrine. These studies are: Reading, spelling, drawing, composition, composi-tion, arithmetic, grammar, history, geography, geo-graphy, physiology, penmanship and vocal music. Then we come to the high school, which is considered by critics equal to any in Denver. The course may usually 'be completed in four years, but for indolent scholars or those of irregular attendance, the time ifl necessarily lengthened. In this department are taught all the branches of a thorough English education, edu-cation, that is, Christian doctrine, civil government, physical geography, algebra, al-gebra, rhetoric, composition, botany, zoology, ancient and modern hletors, natural philosophy, astronomy, chemistry, chem-istry, geology, English and American literature, Latin, geometry, trigonometry trigonom-etry and bookkeeping. Pupils not wishing to takethe high school course may, instead, take the commercial,. which comprises bookkeeping, bookkeep-ing, commercial law, arithmetic, (advanced (ad-vanced course) and business forms and letters. Apropos of the commercial course, we might say a few words with regard to the method of teaching bookkeeping. It is done bv actual busineas. An extra room is used as bank and business exchange. Checks are cashed, drafts drawn, notes given, interest collected, col-lected, mortgages given, etc. When cash business is transacted, currency is used in short, every means is employed em-ployed to make of the students good business men and women. A visit to the school would disclose meny interesting' features, not the least of which, is the "Cabinet." Here will be found objects of inter- est to scientists, as well as to people in general. Geologists will find rare specimens of rock formation of the Triastic and Jurassic Jur-assic periods, native copper from the shores of Lake Superior, native gold, bog-iron in a deposit of sand, fossils, petrified wood, stratified and unstrati-fied unstrati-fied rock, mica, pete, and a peculiar deposit de-posit from the Soda Lake near Morrison. Mor-rison. Then there are several varieties1 of sea-weed, star fish and sand dollars. A hornet's nest occupies a conspicuous place and near it hangs the nest of the ariole. The pious visitor" ; would doubtless linger most lovingly over a fork and spoon, made from the olive wood of the Garden of Gethsemane, while a Roman lamp found in the catacombs would claim its share of attention. Another curiosity worthy of particular particu-lar mention, is a ball fired during the Civil war and found on the field after the Battle of Shiloh. Among the collection of rare coins Is one of the United States, bearing the date 1774. Besides these coins, there Is a large amount of Confederate currency. cur-rency. A former pupil has sent from Alaska a miniature "totem-pole," a halibut hook and Indian paddles. A stuffed all-gator all-gator from Florida and a hand made canoe from Havana, are among the recent addition's to the cabinet. As a tropy of the Spanish-American war, they have a part of the uniform of a Spanish soldier. The collection of butterflies and i moths is an excellent one, while many a naturalist has longed for possession of the "wingless cricket." Before leaving, one should not fail to examine the collection of nute, the most interesting of which are the "hazel nut" and Brazil nut" in their native state. Before closing, we might say a few words with regard to the graduates of thi3 institution. Until the year 1S98, we had no graduating class. The alumrii now consists of Miss Margaret Mar-garet O'Donnell and Mr. Louis Hagus, class of ,98; Misses Mabel Crean, Elsie Sullivan, Anna O'Brien and Elizabeth Kelley and Messrs Joseph Bowler and William Norton, class of '99. To these will soon be added Misses Georgina Edson -and Mabelle Livingston, class of '00. These 5'oung ladies and gentlemen are full of hopes and promises about what thev intend to achieve in the world, but the first two have chosen to labor in the vineyard of the Lord. Mias O'Donnell has already hidden her sweet face beneath a convent veil and Mr. Hagus Is pursuing a theological theolo-gical course in the Sacred Heart College. Col-lege. ELIZABETH KELLY, Denver. |