The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, January 28, 1934, Page 18

DEVELOPMENT EDITION—THE DAILY ALASKA EMP PUSSEESUS USSR S e { - Alaska Public School System By A. E. KARNES, [ Territorial Commissioner of Education | Commissioner of Education. In the creation of the type of Territorial school board as it now exists, the | Legislature gave the Board wide | powers, among which was the pow- Recent studies in school admin- | er to abolish rural school boards. v , S S U PUL U U I some of the smaller high schuolsIsChool year, since the school bud- have not been accredited by either|gets in practically all cities have of the above organizations, thcu(bcen reduced from 5 to 15 per- graduates are making good in col-| cent. In the rural schools, fhe cost lege and university. A graduate|will also be reduced, due to the | of the Skagway high school recent- | change in the method of adminis- istration have brought to light the fact that the larger administration- | al units are more economical than the small. The Targer units are now being advocated as one of the of helping solve the hool financing during Alaska has recent- | ing its public under one ad- the depression ly taken steps to I schools more nearly ministrative unit The Territorial Legislature in 1915, established “a uniform school system,” with a Territorial Board | of Education consisting of the Go ernor, who was designated as Ex- officio Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Treasurer of the Territory, and the Assistant Sup-| erintendent of Public Instruction, ‘appointed by the Governor. Two years later, the Legislature created a mew type of board, consisting of | the Governor and the four senior ‘senators. This fype of board mflm-} tained until the 1933 session of | the Legislature when that body created a board consisting of five members, each holding office six years, on being from each division, ‘ and one member at large. Their terms of office do not end at the | same time, and the board is ‘there- | fore continuous. | Under the old type of Board, no provisions were made for regular meetings, except that they should meet shortly after the convening of the Legislature. The results of this type was that they met very infrequently, and at a time when| the Senator members were busy | at many other things besides that of considering the schools. Con- sequently, the 'Territorial Public Schools were really administered by | the Commissioner of Education and the Governor. The types of schools maintained | are, and have been since the sys- tem was created, the incorporated | | / | this agent looks after the school of Normal training, and these are, | stibjects, as well ‘as the vocation- At the first meeting of the Board | ly entered the University of Wash- last June, that body abolished all rural school boards, so now, only the incorporated school distriets have school boards. All other schools are administered by the Commissioner of Education. Among | the many reasons for abolishing rural school boards was that it would give the Territorial Board| The academic work given in the better control over the appropria- | grades of the rural schools is tions made by the Legislature. The | equivalent to that- given in the| Commissioner of Education had al- | rural s¢hools in the states. In some ways approved budgets for rural| communities, the .academic made a grade of “A” in every sub- | ject. The work done in the grades |and high school *in the incorpor- | ated schools is no doubt as good as that received in any of the | schools in the states, taken as an average. set salaries of teachers. In spite of ' in others this, many school boards would | ties, pay higher wages to teachers than | permitted by the Commissioner’s|felt that they will have need of salary schedule, and too, many|these after leaving school. The boards overran their budgets, some | teachers of these schools are well! coming out at the end with defic- | prepared. Of the total of 94 teach- its of many hundred dollars, which fers in rural schools, 20 are col- the Territory had to make good.|lege or unive y gradu: and Under the present system, fhe Com- | 68 are graduates of a two-year nor- missioner of Education has com-|mal course, and in some cases, a| plete control over the appropria- |three year course. A few of those | tions made for rural schools. Each |[who are college graduates are also rural school now has an agent,|normal graduates. Only five of the appointed ‘by the Commissioner; |94 have had less than two years but in these communi- some manual training and sewing is given the pupils, as it is property, and approves bills for|as a rule, some of the older teach- small expenditures. ers who have been in the Terri- In all of the incorporated school | tory for a long period, and are giv- districts, except that of Eagle, both | ing excellent satisfaction as teach- elementary’ and high school in- ,Pr< even though their training is struction is given. The enrolment | not as much as that of the newer at Fagle is small, and ‘no high |teachers. school instruction is given. In the! In some of the larger rural larger cities, the pupils have n‘schools. some high school work is wide variety of subjects to choose | being ‘given, though the teachers from, including the usual academic | are handicapped in this work, as they are not able to give the va- riety of subjects that are given in the larger high schools. The type of work given is mostly academic, though some schools do offer man- al, such as manual training, home | economics, ‘and commercial sub- jects. As a rule, in the smaller high schools, only the academic subjects | ington, and during the first quarter | work | boards, and for the past two years|is not stressed probably as much as‘ | enough funds are appropriated for | tration. The PWA grant of $175,500.00 for school buildings has been'a god- {send to the Territory; this, with ' the $30,000.00 appropriated by the ;lasL Legislature will put the rural | schools in excellent condition, as j well as that at Nome. Should Con- | gress appropriate more funds for | the PWA work, application will be fmadr for buildings in other cities, {such as Douglas, Haines, Valdez, and possibly others. . Hllll|IIIIIIflIHIIIIIill!mlIlllll|IIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIHIIIIHIHIlIII Probably the most unsatisfactory [ phase of the administration to the schools, is that of supervision. Not the Commissioner to visit all| schools each year, and in visiting | schools, he is compelled to limit| his time at the various stops to the boat or plane schedule. In some places, stops of only 45 min- utes were made on the last in- spection trip. This does not give the Commissioner time to observe the instruction, give diagnotic tests, | nor many other things which should be done. No doubt this mat- ter will be corrected in the future. In general, it may be said that the public schools in the Territory are in good condition, from fllm instruction point of view. The type ! of organization of the Territorial Board meets the standards set up| by leading educators. And while| there is not as much money ast there should be for operating the schools, the conditions are not as | bad as prevails in the states. Then there is the hope that the Federalt Government will re-imburse the| Territory for what it is spending on the education of natives in the Territorial schools. During the are given. Four of the larger high schools | ual training and home economics. Owing to the limited appropriations | are accredited with the Northwest|for rural schools, the Territorial | Association of Secondary and High-| Board will eliminate the high | school year 1932-1934, this amount- ed to $198,67352. Delegate Dimond is introducing a bill into Congress for this re-imbursement for the ) , SUNDAY, jAN. 28, 1934. ; lllllllll.lullllllll 530 | Colman Building ~ eity schools, the unincorporated village or rural schools, and the er Schools; these are Anchorage, school work in rural schools next | year stated, and to make it possible Fairbanks, Juneau and Ketchikan. | year. | for the Terrifory to be re-imbursed | i 1 i i i 33 special schools. In the past, the incorporated and unincorporated schools were administered by lo- leal school boards elected by the people, while the special schools were administered directly by tho‘ Four more are making application,| The per capita cost of operating ie, Petersburg, Cordova, Seward|the schools, both in the cities, and and Nome. These schools are all|in the rural schools, has been grad- accredited by the University of |ually diminished during the past Washington, as well as Sitka,|few years. This cost will_be ma- Douglas, and Wrangell. And while | terially reduced for the present B e College, Alaska, and Extra-Cu P T Irhm!l"WAméyn HTH Dormitory Hostess The most important activity in | this world is living—second to Lhz\t- in importance is HOW this living is | done. “When a girl comes to college she has already established certain habits of behavior. Her college life helps her to continue to play fair, to think clearly, to make intelli- gent decisions and to act accord- ingly, and gives her practice in living among the various sorts of | people there are in the world whom | one may have for friends, associ- fites, and fellow citizens. In col- lége she has opportunity to learn hot to be too critical, to be cour- | ‘teous, to share work and play, to | @ppreciate her own ability and| that of others, and to take initia- tive. She practices living in a way that will make her free to do worth-while things independently. ‘What has the Alaska College to | offer in these valuable experiences? Fair-mindedness and delight in | #estful competitive activities are | given full play. | Wide Choice of Activities Each girl has a wide choice of activities, both useful and recre- | irricular o \ \ \ \ \ l} ) 3l By CARL ‘M. FRANKLIN With as varied a program of ex- tra-curricular activities as may be found in the majority of colleges, men and women students of Alaska College are enabled to make valu- able use of their leisure time. One of the most outstanding is athletics. The athletic program of the college this year towers above that of any of the preceding years like the Majesfic McKinley towers above the surrounding peaks. Bas- ketball, as usual, helds the spot- light. This 'year, as a fitting ¢limax' to the unparalleled development of the sports program, eight stalwarts of the maple court made a 3,000 mile trip. In four weeks of travel they played games in all the lead- ing coast cities'of the Territory. Tumbling, wrestling, boxing, in- door baseball, volleyball, tennis and rifle practice are other outstand- ing indoor activities. On one occa- sion the tumbling team made a trip with the basketball squad. Outdoor Sports The varied program of outdoor sports has been enlarged this year with the construction of an ice hockey rink on the campus. Skat- bogg: anu# dog-sled . riding, ,. and| dritimg, Hiking the wood-trafls and paths on the hills around the campus, and hunting with both ko- dak and gun—all these give health- | ful exercise and mental relaxation. Por indoor activities and fun dur- ing the two coldest months of the year, a girl may choose dancing, indoor athletics, dramatics, debate, band, orchestra, glee club, working on the staff of the college paper or the year book, committee mem- bership of varibus kinds, advertis- ing poster work, weaving and art projects, and special units related to the courses she may be taking. What courses might she be tak- | ing? The usual academic courses, as well as many preparatory cours- es are offered at the Alaska Col- lege. The courses in home econom- ics, business administration, and education prepare students for ap- plication of their training immedi- ately after college days. All in all, the Alaska College co- ed finds her days and weeks full of worth-while activities which are preparing her for a useful and happy life in any community in which she may find herself after her college days are over. She has practiced accomplishing valuable ational, to follow as a leisure-time hobby or as a manner of self-ex- pression. | If a girl enjoys outdoor sports, her days here are full of activity Skiing, skating, snow-shoeing, to- ANIMALS GIVEN MUCH ATTENTION Biological Department, Alaska College The work of the Biological Sur- vey of the Department of Agricul- ture which has been carried on cooperatively with the College for Six years is only preliminary to| other fields of great importance. The “carideer,” a cross between | the reindeer and the caribou is being developed at the College station and on Nunivak Island. | adult carideer is fifty to one idred pounds heavier than the reindeer. ‘Domesticating the mountain shéep and crossbreeding with do- moestic sheep is an interesting Bio- Jogical Survey project being car- aled on at the College station. A hardy animal particularly suited to :.nn conditions and possessing the superior meat qualities of the tain sheep is sought £ muskoxen brought to Alaska Greenland in 1930 are now in fourth year at the Biological Station at animals brought in as calves yearlings are doing well and spring will have reached breed- age. , 50, numerous in most of !in college and in a way in which | terminated by the courageous the College. work and has learned to enjoy life herself and add to the pleasure of others. She lives while she is ing, skiing, snow-shoeing and mountain climbing find many en- thusiasts in this “Paradise” of win- she experiences the making of her own happiness and success. the outdoor activities. Hunting and fishing in the fall, and baseball, track, tennis, and fishing in the spring are others of importance. Musical attivities form an' im- portant part of the extra-currieul- ar program. Foremost among these are the college pep band, men’s quartet, mixed glee club, and wom- en’s trio. The first two made their debut ‘to the radio audience of Alaska in a recent college broad- cast, by remote control through station KFQD in Anchorage. Alaska, have been found a serious problem to solve in livestock ven- tures. Civilization and educational advantages seem not to have modi- fied the predacious nature of these beasts whose activities are speedily pioneer. With several hundred thousands square miles undisputed- ly in possession of the bear they are respectfully requested to stay at home. | COLLEGE DAYS FOR OUR CO-EDS O e e e PO USSP S ter sports. Though outstanding, the | winter sports are but a few of | each year for this service. If this| bill goes through, the Territory| will not only be relieved of a great burden, but the Territorial Board will be in a position to give bet- ter service to its schools. | SUSSUUUN | Dramaties. is, another . important phase bt ‘thé 'prograni. Each year two three-act plays, as well as a number of one-act plays are pro- | duced. | The Farthest-North Collegians, monthly publication, has taken its place among the leading college | papers. This publication, together with new yearbook—Denali—affords great opportunity for journalism enthusiasts. This well balanced program of extra-curricular activities offers the students many ways of satisfying | their imterests, thus developing" to the utmost the prudent, valuable and desirable use of leisure time. TO POPULARIZE ALASKA, WILSON DEVELOPS PLAN With an advertising appropria- tion which represents an increase of more than ene hundred per cent over last year, the Alaska Steamship Company plans this sedson to engage in an extensive campaign to popularize ' Alaska. The ‘appropriation will be used in magazine and newspaper advertis- ing, illustrated literature and other material to stimulate widespmd interest. { According to T. B. Wflson. vioe- president and general manager ‘of the Alaska Steamship Company, the advertising will be based upon a new theme this year. *It is mot only our aim to encourage tourist travel” stated Mr. Wilson, “but | we intend to educate the public throughout the States as to: “S ‘true value of Alaska.” FLOATING—PACKING AND FREEZING PLANT M. S. 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