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HomeMy WebLinkAboutYour City by W. L. Hughes Ilirr ' 1- \ l / j ( 1 , 1 1 . , ( , , , .-A I Excerpts from The Battalion" July 19 - August 9, 1945 " Y O U R C C I T Y " by W. L. Hughes Many years ago the Texas Legislature created an independent school district of the A &M College campus - a district which consisted of some 3500 acres of land and buildings valued at approximately $3,500.00. However, since the property belonged to the State of Texas, it was not taxable; and a school district with no taxable property, except for a small amount of personal property, will not support a school. Another factor which made it possible for the campus people to have anything like a modern school was the small number of children, there being only 30 or 40 of them on the cam- _ pus. Consequently, the campus people sent their children to Bryan to school. In 1917, the Smith - Hughes Act was passed by Congress appropriating funds for the teaching of agriculture in public schools. A &M College was designated as a teacher - training institution, and under authority of the act certain funds were made available for preparing teachers of agriculture in the public schools. This created the problem of a training school for giving prospective teachers some practice teaching in agri- culture. But the college had no public school and one was needed and must be provided. In 1920, Dr. W. B. Bizzell, President of the College, with Professor Martin L. Hayes, head of the Department of Vocational Teaching , conceived the idea of establishing a school on the campus for the purpose of meeting this need and at the same time of meeting the needs of the campus people for a public school. Many problems had to be solved be- fore this could be realized, more particularly that of adequate finances and the further problem of bringing together enough children to create a satisfactory school unit. Finally through the efforts of Professor Hayes, the State Board of Education was persuaded to grant rural aid sufficient to justify the establishment of the school. The college also furnished material assistance, and Dr.Bizzell made available $25,000 for the construction of a school building. (In this connection it may be of interest to record that the $25,000 had been appropriated by the Legislature for the construction of a new home for the president of A &M College, but this did not solve the problem of the requisite number of children for a satisfactory school unit.) In order to solve the problem of bringing together the required number of children, C )fessor Hayes conceived the idea of making the school a rural consolidated school by r in sufficient territory adjoining the college property to afford sufficient pupils to insure an ideal organization - that is, a teacher for each grade. This fact alone created the very serious problem of transportation -that of getting the rural children to and from school. When the rural districts wre assured transportation for their children, Professor Hayes and County Superintendent Eck Smith suceeded in getting common school dis- tricts 2,6, and 13 - all adjoining the campus -to agree to co- operate in launching-the' new school. The problem of securing a building in the summer of 1920, of securing teachers and transportation for about 160 children, was no small one. But with about $13,000. rural aid and some $5,000. furnished by the college, with the state and county apportionment, and the local taxes from the co- operating districts the financial side of the undertaking seemed bright enough. Accordingly, the school board proceeded with the construction of a building and with the purchase of two Oldsmobile buses for transportation -and, for the record, that board was made up of Professor Hayes, Dean E.J. Kyle, and Professor E.J. Fermier, all appointed by the President of the College. A teaching staff consisting of the very best teachers available was invited to take over. This staff included all necessa teachers from principal to primary teacher, including a teacher of home economics and one for agriculture: The problem of organizing a complete school program, including trans - protation, was dumped into the lap of the writer. It was his job to organize the school a task which was undertaken on September when some 160 pupils presented themselves for registration. T school was opened in Guion Hall and continued to hold its daily 1, # L-3 - 4_1.F., (/1 di, riety4f_F ,..?.(s) L ion there until the new building was ready for occupancy. The new building was completed but when the school moved from Guion Hall we found ourselves utterly devoid of any equipment. The principal begged and borrowed from various departments of the college and in a few weeks A. &M. Consolidated School was on its way. It was the plan of the original board and the superintendent to make the school a model of its kind -that is, no teacher should have more than one rade and no g grade more than 35 pupils. The teachers were to be the best obtainable. It was to be a case in ,_ which the job sought the teacher -not the teacher the job. A teacher's home, or teach _V C'' ■ - r age, was provided, and living conditions were made as pleasant as possible.` It must be kept in mind that for many years after its organization, the school was not consolidated legally. The districts pooled their finances and children but it was only by a gentleman's agreement. Rural people wre reluctant to cut loose en- tirely from their old school districts. During the first year of the school,' pupils were enrolled "with an average daily attendance of 74%. Actual enrollment was in excess of the census tabulation. During its second year the school enrooled 342 pupils with an average daily attendance of 80%. The greatest problem to be solved was retardation. More than 57% of the children from the rural schools were retarded due to the character of the schools they had at- tended. After a year or two, however, this situation was cased, and at the end of the second year the school was put on the accredited list with 13 1/2 units of affiliation. Health Program Emphasized Primary duty of any shcool os to make good animals of its pupils. This should be the duty of the homes in any community but is often neglected, particularly in the rural homes. A health survey was made by the Red Cross nurse for Brazos'county. Of the 240 children studied, 100% were found defective. This did not include such dis- penses as malaria. During the first year of the school if became necessary to provide a bed in the principle's office for malaria patients, and it was used almost daily. The school carried on a vigorous health campaign and by the end of the second year malaria was almost stamped out. The children were taught the relation between the mosquito and the disease, and this knowledge was carried home with the result that greater use was made of mosquito nets. • Progress was made in overcoming such defects as bad tonsils, poor teeth, and utrition. Each teacher made it a part of her regular work to instruct her pupils n ill; i Ole importance of clean teeth, clean bodies, and proper diet. By the end of the second year the results were very noticeable. Attendance improved and much better progress in shcool was made. Extra- Curricular Activities The school was large enough to set up a program of athletics. Many matched games with other schools were played and good school spirit was created. A dramatic club was organized and much interest was aroused in amateur performances. These home talent plays were given in different parts of the county, Creating a very favorable impression and showing what a rural school could do. Incidentally, these performances brought in sufficient money to aid in starting a good library. Although the school was the young- est in the county, by the end of two years it had more library books than all the rest Df the rural schools of the county combined. A parent- teachers club was organized and served to bring the parents into closer touch with the organization and work of the school. The mother aided in securing library a books and in securing for the school many needed improvements. During the first years of its able existence the school made remarkable progress. It showed signs of becoming the type of school that will meet the needs of the community. a The high school course of study was shaped to conform to both college entrance require - vents and to vocational life work. During the first years, the high school department was called the "Hayes High School ". There was no graduating class the first year, but at the end of the second year, May, 1922, a class of six was granted diplomas. C elected to take them. One of the very finest assets of the school was the home economics department. Girls were taught the essentials of homemaking in all its various aspects. Home projects in home economics and agriculture sought to make instruction in these subjects as near a life situation as possible, and such courses as English and mathematics were correlated with them in every possible way. A &M Consolidated School Buildings and Grounds The A.U. Consolidated School was housed in buildings on the campus from its orgin until 1940. In November, 1938, a committee from the school board was author- ized to investigate the possibility of the College allowing a new school site of fifteen acres and making other provisions for the school. First Building Erected On February 10, 1939, the school board received a petition from leading citizens of College Station asking that an election be held to vote bonds for financing the building of adequate school facilities. The board ordered this election for February 25, 1939, which approved by a large majority the issuance of $75,000. in bonds for this purpose. A contract with the architects Ernest Langford and Jack Finney, was signed March 13, 1939, at which time two school sites were offered, one of fifteen acres in College Hills Estates and the other the Holick property site. The board accepted the Holick property site at its April meeting. This site, consisting of approximately fifteen acres, was bought and paid for by public subscription from some 116 interested patrons at a total cost of $5,500.58, and the property was given to the school board as a site for the proposed school buildings. On September 8, 1939, the board let a contract for the school buildings to • William Smith, contractor from Waco, on a bid of $69,825. The original contract called for four elementary units having fourteen classrooms, office space and the like; a high school building of six classrooms with auzilary rooms and a building to house the Industrial Arts and Music departments. It was found later that class- room space of the high school was not adequate and a contract to add two additional classrooms was signed October 27, 1939, at a cost of $3,567. The buildings were accepted on March 8, 1940, and school furniture and equipment were moved from the old campus site. v., i (.... . y ��� *.: //110- 4 -X ) • Income for 1920-21. ' - 1. Rural Lid $12,943.00 2. State kpport i ormert 4,214.00 ` 3. Local Tax: :- ::' (a) College Ind. ,- 137.77 ` (b) District No. 6 1,414.08 _ (c) District Igo. 2 1,443.00 2,994.85 4. Tuition 44.00 5. Transportation 12.00 ' . 6. Refund on Bills 167.82 7. Ba_ ancs on had 15.58 - - Total t,20,391.05 -- I Income for 1921 -22. 1. Tural L id Y 1,400.00 2. State knportionnent 4,434.63 3. Local Tax: _ (a) College Ii . _ $ 781.37 . (b) District No. 13 1,101.96 (c) District No. 2 1,607.91 . L (d) District No. o. 6 ... 2 297.28 5, 968.52 = _ 4. 17,113 t i on 319.80 5. Free Text Book Fund . 56.16 6. Rai an e from - last Year _ 15.38 • Total Q "12, 214.29 • - Supplemental Income, _a.. & 1r. College, 1920 -21:: - 3. B uilding .• .......... •.. .• . .. .• • • . • , 6 , 500.00 ; 2. Sa1 s.. . . ..•. .... " .s._.. " ..• ... ..•.. - .s. " " •• 4 " 3. E ul ' ent • • .• • • • . • • i 9 4 • • ... • • • • • • • .. e • ► • • f c e • • •-• ; • • i - . • 2, 500. V V _ _ ft• isc.el ii ••.•..• s• _ L3 "" ale. s••.•.s�s�sse.s � s..s.�•• `__?_,_,.„..9_ :::. .78 i ": - - Total -. t35, 9.9.78 - 1 SApnlementa1 Income, A. & M. College, 1521 -22. 1. Salaries 112,194.69 • pp/Pr _jr.h Tt"--( A -VC V/ 41 . Tuly 20, 1928 • • Mr. 2. Barron - Bryan, Texas Dear Mr. Barron:- This is to confirm ray proposi- tion of yesterday relative to getting the county nap ready to sulnit to the - -State Department at the earliest-date possible,; It will mean .2,000•00 in . bonuses to our school if we can get this natter through and our consolida -- . - tion functioning before August 31st, Our Board will pay you X50.00 as Stated yesterday for the preparation • of this map. _ Can't we get this : out and approved by . our : County Board b er ode the end a next week ? • Cordially yours, C. H. Winkler, Dean CM; EFIC • • • )Y + a rt �M J,t'`'� it r a e s r 1 :: y �• , s A s , w ..0,-41,:•:-.•; . � K i � ' Vi i: 1 > „� ?'I. i � s'� . ~ •t4 l'� _ :•-:.;•-.'!..-) ii! = t t. �. ♦ i . � s l 1 Lr } ! _ .{: r a ;s r .1 .a' 7 a : r •: A I.` , a f } 1 e y a ,..,-,,,,..,-,..,.!•;..-.. ' , • 1 :. 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