The public schools of the city of Atlantic constitute one of the institutions of which all the citizens are proud. The graduates have for some years past been admitted to all of the higher institutions of learning all over the country and their work accepted without question. These graduates have made good in all the walks of life. During the past year the enrollment in our schools has been unusually large, there being an enrollment for the year of one thousand and fifty-four different pupils.
The schools are housed in four buildings. The Grant school, of four rooms; the West school, of six rooms; the East school, of six rooms, and the High school of some eleven rooms. In addition to this one of the primary grades occupies the basement of the Baptist church--the renting of which was made necessary by the overcrowding of the high school building. While some of these buildings have served for many years and are not so modern as might be desired they are well equipped with the necessary supplies for effective school work and are kept in a scrupulously clean and sanitary condition.
G. G. JECK, President of the Board.
The members of the board of education of the Atlantic schools are: Mr. G. G. Jeck, President; J. H. Marshall, George H. Mccormick, W. C. Williams and Crowley E. Cole. Mr. L. W. Niles, of the Atlantic National bank, is treasurer of the district and Mr. D. O. Herbert is secretary.
CHAS. E. BLODGETT, Supt.
ATLANTIC HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING.
The work of the schools is that of the ordinary public school, special stress being put on teaching in a practiced and thorough manner, reading, writing, arithmetic and spelling. The high school offers three regular, full four-year courses--the Latin course, which is in fact a course for those who are fitting themselves to go on to college; the commercial course, which is as complete and thorough as is offered by any business college, and including a year and a half of bookkeeping, penmanship, typewriting, stenography, arithmetic, commercial law, commercial geography, political economy, spelling, etc. and the Normal training course. This latter is organized under special appointment by the State Department at Des Moines, and is in part maintainned [sic maintained] by state aid. It is as the name implies a course for those who intend to fit themselves for teaching. It consists of reviews of the common branches in the the eleventh and twelfth grades, including elementary agriculture, home economics and pedagogy. Pupils completing this course are given a diploma, which is a valid license to teach anywhere in the state. These new courses together with the new tuition law, whereby pupils from the rural districts, who have completed the eighth grade work, may enter high schools and have their tuiton paid by their districts, have done much to increase the attendance and hold in school many who heretofore have dropped out of school. The high school enrollment this year has reached two hundred and eighteen.
GEORGE McCORMICK, Board Member.
The teaching force for the present school year is as follows: Anna O. Temple, principal high school;
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