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Show sifPi h. c. joisora GIVES II Hi OF SCHOOLS Improvements That Have Been Made During the Past Twelve Months. There has been more practical reconstruction, re-construction, possibly, of the Ogden j schools during the past year than has 1 been done for mnny years. The schools were in a condition which the lack of a manager or superintendent and the steadily increasing number of students had brought about. In the first place, the buildings were not adequate for the number of students and did not measure up to present standards of safety, sanitation or convenience. It was a man-sized job then which faced Superintendent Henry C. Johnson when ho accepted tho position tendered ten-dered him by the board of education. But with intelligent foresight and the unfailing co-operation of the board of education, he set about to survey the situation and prescribe a remedy. This I has been done and Ogden's schools in a short time have been developed to a degTee which would not ordinarily have come, except in the course of several sev-eral years. Invariably a home-seeker inquires about the schools of his prospective home-town. It is then an asset in favor of getting new citizens, If a report re-port can bo given that the schools are on a par with the best in the country. Utah's schools have ranked high in educational standing in the United States for a number of years and the Ogden system is a unit of the Utah system -which maintains this standard very creditably Superintendent Johnson in a recent report, reviewed the entire school sys-tern sys-tern of this city and its advance and expansion during the year. It follows: By Supt. H. C. Johnson. As might be expected in any business busi-ness corporation, which had been operating op-erating for a year -without a manager, tho Ogden schools necessarily needed readjustment entirely, in the educational educa-tional side of the System at leasL No particular improvements had been made in the schdol plant for sev-eral sev-eral years. The city has been growing rapidly, and hence tho schools were seriously crowded. This condition had prevailed for several years. Many grades wore forced to operate on half-day half-day sessions. In addition to this tho present buildings were sadly in neod of cleaning and In somo ensos remodeling. remodel-ing. Many of the heating plants were unsare, and a number of Ill-lighted, , .unsanitary basemont rooms ) for class rooms. There were sixteen class rooms in the Ogden schools heated heat-ed by stoves, and two large buildings in the center of town where they did not have modern toilets. Survey Needed. Tbe first work of the superintendent was to survey the school buildings and recommend improvements. Ho found that the schools would need addition' al room to tho extont of 36 more class rooms, and were also badly in need of gymnasiums and assembly rooms. This resulted in a special election the latter part of May, asking for $2Q0,000 to make the neceasary repairs. re-pairs. The bonds were carried by a vote of about three to one. Immediately Immediate-ly the contracts were let for a now Junior high school, known as the North Junior high school, remodeling of the Madison school, and remodeling and enlarging of the Lewis school for a junior high school and grade building. build-ing. The Five Points school was remodeled, re-modeled, giving additional rooms and putting In a modern ventilating system and heating system. The Lewis building was completed the latter part of November, and is now occupied by a junior high school lining sixteen rooms, and an addition has eight grade rooms. This building build-ing formerly had but twelve rooms. A modern heating, ventilating -and plumbing system was installed. New Buildings. The Madison building was completed complet-ed during the Christmas holidays, and was opened when school started on January 7. This building has been enlarged en-larged from an eight-room building to a twenty-two rooms building with a modern system oi veniuanon anu lighting. It has very large straight halls on each floor, which space will be used for gymnastics, folk dancing and rhythm work. The new Mound Fort junior high school in the north part of the city was also opened for school work immediately im-mediately after the holidays. It has i 15 large class rooms and in 'addition 1 a splendid gymnasium and shower baths, and an auditorium that will seat about 450 people. The new building ls connected with the Mound Fort grade school by a spacious hallway, off from which are the toilets and heating plant. Two of the rooms in the old building have been remodeled and made into manual training shops, two have been made into class rooms, one Into a domestic art room and one into a lunch room. Proper lighting has been an important consideration in the construction of this building. The upper half of the -windows is of glazed glass which give ample yet suffused light. School Cafeteria. In addition to this, all the other buildings were renovated throughout by having the walls tinted and the woodwork and seats varnished, and many of the basement rooms were vacated va-cated for modern sanitary rooms. Plans are npw under consideration for a new building in West Ogden which will be built next summer, ready for occupancy by September 1. One of the most popular features that was added to the schools this year was the cafeteria in the high school. When the budget of the school year was planned last spring, it provided money for an up-to-date cafeteria. This was installed by the manual training instructors during the vacation. It includes a splendid kitchen and store room and all the modern conveniences 1 needed. The lunch room is, a large i well lighted hali. and will seat about 125 people. The tables for this room 1 and other furniture were made by the 1 students in the manual training de- 1 partment of the high school. The cafeteria is under the general direc- , tion of the domestic science supervis- or, nnd the students assist in the plan- ning and cooking of tho meals Sev- j eral contributions from the ladles' ; clubs of Ogden in the way of money and fruit assisted in getting the cafe- , teria started. Lunch is served to the students and teachers of the school at cost. New Course of Study. The course of study had not been revised since 1912, hence the now course of study was written during the summer for the entire school system, sys-tem, which was adopted and put into operation at the opening of tbe school year in September. A closer affiliation affilia-tion of the grade schools "vvith the Junior Jun-ior high schools aro some of the plans of the course. Industrial courses were enlarged both In content and in tho number of grades covered. New courses were planned to take up shop work and domestic art with tho fifth grade, going on through tho junior high school and in the senior high school as an elective. In the state of Utah, the law requires re-quires the adoption of new text books in all cities every five years. The new-course new-course of study was revised and planned plan-ned In accordance with the text toous adopted, and in many cases they were changed in order that the very latest ideas might be included in the work of the schools. Study Plan. Special emphasis this year so far has been based on efficiency in instruction in-struction and teaching pupils how to study. -In correlating tho work and the study period, supervised study has been inaugurated in the junior high schools and in the senior high school. The programs in all these schools are arranged on a one hour t)as;s. This gives thirty minutes for recitations recita-tions and thirty minutes for study in each subject with a five minute intermission inter-mission -vhich gives the pupils an opportunity op-portunity to relax. This makes the school day much longer than the day has formerly been. Work in these schools is taken up at 8:30 and continues contin-ues until 4 in the afternoon. The plan-Ib plan-Ib working excellontly as It gives the pupil an opportunity during the school day and while in the building to pre pare his work for the next day. leaving leav-ing the time in the evening for recreation recrea-tion and general reading. The teaching force has been enlarged' en-larged' from 196, the number employed em-ployed last year, to 225. In engaging engag-ing the teachers, the standard prescribed pre-scribed in the rules and regulations is strictly adhered to candidates for grade positions must have the equivalent equiva-lent in scholarship of the state grammar gram-mar grade diploma (or certilfcate), which means that thoy must have completed com-pleted n four-year high school course with two additional years In a normal school, college or university, .in addition addi-tion to the necessary professional subjects sub-jects in education. Candidates for high school positions must have com pletod, a four year college course in a standard institution and must have at least a bachelor's degree, and in addition, the necessary subjects in education. SubBtantlnl increases n srifr--were -given to all the teachers in the force for the school year of 191C-1917. A number of .supervisors weu J ed. such as music supervisor, kindergarten kinder-garten supervisor and school nurse. An excellent system ,of kindergartens kindergar-tens has been established, and are proving very popular in the city, under Lhe direction of well trained -directors. Medical Inspection. The system of medical inspection introduced this yenr has proved to be be very efficient. The "medical department de-partment was organized with a school nurse in charge, who devotes her whole time to tho work in the school. Medical and dental examination of every ev-ery child was part of the opening work of the schools. The doctors and dentists dent-ists of tho city of Ogden very generously gener-ously donated their services, and under un-der the direction of the school nurse examined every child who entered school during the first two weeks. After this initial exannnation the children chil-dren required to furnish a certificate of health from a regular practicing physician. A complete physical record was made of every child nnd filled in the office of the nurse, who follows up ' this record by interviewing the parents and instructing them in the care of their children. On the business side of tho administrative admin-istrative work the important feature that is now going on is the Installing of a better accounting systom. This will be complete so us to give an opportunity op-portunity to plan a detailed budget for the coming year, and will include a complete inventory of all the property proper-ty and equipment of the school plant. Tuberculosis mortality in the Cen- MH tral Empires shows a terrible in- MH crease during the war, according to. 'L i'H official statistics. i oo . Jr , Under tho direqtion of the Local ; Council of Women free lessons In 1 Jj cookery are to be given in some of the r Vancouver (B. C.) schools. j oo , I The Susquehanna Collieries com- r J pany has appointed the first woman j ' , IH weighmaster in the anthracite region. ' |
