Extra Curricular Activities in the Edison Junior High School

Author(s): H. H. Glessner
Source: The Junior High School Clearing House, Vol. 2, No. 6 (Mar., 1924), pp. 11-13
Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd.
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30208953
Accessed: 08-09-2016 05:24 UTC

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High School Clearing House

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 Junior High School Clearing House

our large vocational boys are always in of the school.

evidence. The athletic favorites have
always been among the number.
At graduation time any student hav-
ing met the standard for at least four
terms out of a possible five, including
of course, the graduation term, is given
special public recognition and presen-
ted with a gold Honor Star pin.
It may be interesting also to note
that the Code of Honor has been the
means of effecting a very desirable
piece of co-operation with a larger
community. The Lions Club of the City
has become interested in the project
and is offering a silver cup each term
to the boy and to the girl who may
be selected from among the honor stu-
dents as best exemplifying the ideals
The Code of Honor is in itself a
device. Its success must always be re-
lated to the spirit and seriousness of
those who administer it. That its em-
phasis is in the right direction will be
conceded. That it has been a strong
factor in improving the conduct and
attitude of our students cannot be
questioned. It has been worked out
with a very keen sensitiveness to the
value and place of incentives. The
school believes that the highest ideal
of its Code of Honor is best expressed
in the quotation which in large letters
greets every student and teacher and
visitor who enters the building, "Act
Well Your Part: There All the Honor
Lies."

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES IN THE EDISON JUNIOR

HIGH SCHOOL
H. H. Glessner

The Junior High School is still con-

teen years. True to its name, there-
sidered by some people as being only a the Junior High School today is
fore,
slightly modified type of the old gram-
ministering to the needs of these boys
mar school-departmentalized to a and girls in such a way as to give them
somewhat larger degree. Those of us more self-reliance and a higher and
who have been connected with the Jun-
nobler conception of school in general.
ior High School movement since its or-The Edison Junior High School has
ganization in 1910, however, have come
an enrollment of approximately seven
to realize that the Junior High School hundred, and draws almost entirely
of today is a very different institution from the homes of the working class.
from that of a decade or more ago. Many of these boys and girls leave
Its founders or organizers recognized school at the end of the ninth year, and
the need of a different grouping from will not have any further opportunity
the old "8-4" plan, one that would pro- of sharing in the social activities which
vide for the pre-adolescent boy and play so important a part in high school
girl and would safely carry them overand university life. This is one of the
that trying age between twelve and six- reasons why the Edison School faculty
11

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 Junior High School Clearing House

strongly advocates a highly developed to six pages giving the every-day do-
student-body organization. Such an or- ings of the school. A copy of this paper
ganization also brings out leadership is given to every pupil free of charge,
in those who continue their course in and it serves as a means of tying up
the Senior High School and at the Un- the home with the school. The school
iversity, and gives them that confi- papers are edited by the students, the
dence which so often is found wanting staff being chosen by the English De-
among boys and girls during the highpartment. There is an Advisory Board,
school period. consisting of three teachers, that su-
Our student-boliy consists of the stu-pervises and directs the work; but
dents of the school and the faculty. Ataside from this the students themselves
the end of each semester they elect are responsible for the literary depart-
their officers consisting of a president,
ment, the art work, and the actual
a secretary, a yell leader, a girls' ath-
printing of the paper.
letic manager, and a boys' athletic man- There is perhaps no other activity
ager. The principal of the school ap-that occupies as important a place in
points the treasurer from the faculty.the Junior High School as a band and
Each advisory class, of which there a first class orchestra. The Edison
are twenty-four in the school, chooses aSchool is fortunate in this respect, for
class president who presides over thewe pride ourselves in having both a
band and an orchestra of unusual
affairs of the class. The class presidents
together with the elected officers of themerit. The band consists of thirty-two
student body, form the Executive pieces and the orchestra of forty-four
Board which directs the various activi- pieces:, in addition to which we have
ties of the school. Our assemblies are a second orchestra of twenty five
held regularly each week, and are pre-pieces. Regular periods are scheduled
sided over bjy the student body presi-for practice and rehearsals, under the
dent, except on certain occasions when direction of a full-time director. All
the principal is in charge. The variousthe band instruments and some of the
petty details about the school, such asorchestral instruments are owned by
the cleanliness of the grounds, the the school, which likewise furnishes
proper upkeep of the buildings, matters uniforms to the band boys. The band
of general discipline, all athletic rallies, orchestra have perhaps done more
and
and the campaign for financing of the than any other one department to hold
school publications, are almost entirely the interest of the individual pupil, and
managed by the Executive Board. to create a spirit of unity throughout
The school issues, each term, a mag- the school. From time to time a regu-
azine called the "The Mazda" which is lar musical program is presented be-
published in our own print shop and is fore our student assemblies. The or-
financed entirely by subscriptions, nochestra furnishes all the music for our
advertisements being permitted. Three public entertainments, plays, operettas,
times during the term the school issuesand so forth. Toward the close of each
"The Spotlight", a news sheet of fouryear, an evening program is given by
12

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 Junior High School Clearing House

the Music Department, and the com- effort, the plan works no hardship on
munity has come to look upon these oc- any one department, and each shares in
casions with a great deal of interest. the success of the performance.
No school can function one-hundred
The English Department is at all
percent without the co-operation of the
times held responsible for the dramaticparents. In order to bring about this
work of the school. It has been our co-operation, the Edison Community
policy to correlate this feature with the
Council was organized. This Council
regular class work. During the past includes the fathers and mothers of our
year the students have staged a numberboys and girls, and meet monthly
of one-act plays, requiring very simplethroughout the year always in the even-
setting. These plays have been very ing. Its object is to bring the home
popular with the student-body, and are and the school closer and to keep a-
most wholesome for our young people. breast of the work and the needs of the
It has been our custom each term to school. Through the efforts of the Edi-
stage either a play, selected entirely a-
son Community Council the school has
side from the class-room work, or an established a library modeled along the
operetta produced by the Music Depart- lines of a Branch Public Library, with
ment, alternating the two. At all such approximately three thousand books in
times the various departments of the circulation. The Council likewise was
school are called in to co-operate, and instrumental-in co-operation with the
this correlation is most healthful and faculty-in securing or establishing a
very practical. The Art Department thirty thousand dollar Pre-vocational
designs the stage settings, the Shop De-Shop plant. This department affects
partment constructs the needed scen- every boy in the school, and plays a
ery and handles the stage lighting, thevery great part in shaping his life.
Home Economics Department designs When a group of citizens like the mem-
and makes the costumes, the Physical bers of the Edison Community Council
Education Department trains and see the needs of our schools, it requires
stages the dancing features, the Print- very little urging to get them to put
ing Department is called upon for the over such a constructive program as
printing of the programs and tickets. has been accornplished in the Edison
In this way there is no duplication of Junior High School.

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL WORK IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

Carleton B. Gibson

Savannah, Georgia operated for naturally augmented the difficulties in

many years under the 8-4 plan of or- passing from elementary schools, then
called grammar schools, to the high
ganization and owing to a peculiar lo-
school. The mortality of pupils was
cal condition the eighth grade was the
weak spot in the entire system. This consequently abnormally large.
13

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