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(Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate) THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, MArCH 3, 2023 SAUGUS PAST| FROM PAGE 6 ceived diplomas at graduation ceremonies in June. A few pupils brought their lunches. (Nothing like the basement of SHS during a lunch period on a sub-zero winter’s day) … Many pupils were buying pie, cake, cookies, and candy at neighboring stores and from pushcart vendors, thereby incurring the displeasure of Principal Ross who advocated for a cafeteria to remedy this evil. In 1905, the pressing issues were the advisability of employing a school physician, the confusion over the “no school” signals, and the question of a new high school. Land was purchased at the corner of Central and Winter Streets for $3,606.15, and fi fty thousand dollars was appropriated for building expenses. In a few months, the citizens read that “The new High School building has eight classrooms, a chemical and physics laboratory, and an assembly hall.” (The assembly room is now used as the study hall) … The building accommodated 180 pupils. About this time, the problem of keeping teachers was acute, as the turnover in the Saugus school system, including the high school, was large. The birthdays of President Lincoln and of the poets Whittier and Longfellow were school holidays. When the present century was eight years old, Fairfi eld Whitney was appointed Superintendent of Schools, a position then paying $1,500 per year. Several school physicians were appointed to comply with a recent state law. The school committee decided that high school students were having too many activities and laid down the law. Hereafter, there was to be only one evening social in any one school week, except the senior dance and operetta; the Junior Prom was abolished and only two Athletic Association whist parties were allowed per week; debates were restricted to Friday evenings. Soon afterwards, the school committee recommended a commercial and a manual training course. In 1911, a domestic science course was requested by Principal Butterworth and the total school expenditures were almost double what they had been eight years ago, having reached $44,764.10. In 1912, the salary of Principal Butterworth was raised to $1,700, and the minimum salary for teachers was $500. The superintendent recommended a commercial course and also suggested oiling the schoolroom fl oors to counteract fl oating dust. (“Oil, when properly applied, will not soil the teacher’s skirts!”) … In this year, Mr. McKenna was appointed as submaster to assist Mr. Butterworth at $900 per annum; for the enrollment had now risen to 137 pupils. Incidentally, the motto of the graduating class was “Row, don’t drift.” By1914, the salary of the school superintendent rose to $1,800 and the enrollment skyrocketed to 335 pupils because fi ve grades were now included in the building. Mr. Butterworth resigned, and Mr. Arthur L. Williams was appointed to fi ll the vacant position. It was this year that the high school library was inaugurated. 1915 was a big year for Saugus High School. Because of the large enrollment, the two platoon system started when plans for a badly needed addition to the high school were delayed. In the summer came the Saugus Centennial. The town was one hundred years old; and the big event was celebrated by parades, pageants, special church services, speeches by prominent people and by an essay contest, prize $20 in gold [won] by Constance Hughes with her essay, “Boston’s Country Cousin.” Mr. H. H. Atherton compiled a history of Saugus for use as a school textbook. Monday, July 5th, was also a big day in Saugus; bands were playing, fl ags were fl ying, and crowds lined up the streets to watch the Saugus Centennial Parade. The Saugus school system had nine colorful floats picturing among other things, the Old Rock Schoolhouse, a district school, a primary school, a number of pupils typewriting to show our commercial department; four boys doing bench and lathe work typifying our manual training department. Another fl oat held two pictures of the Ballard School. Principal Williams urging that girls’ basketball should be played for pleasure only said, “I am opposed to all public exhibition of girls’ basketball!” Cafeteria prices were extremely low as compared to prices today; sandwiches were only two cents; soup, stew, chowder, and fi shcakes were fi ve cents each; a piece of pie cost only three cents; and cupcakes and doughnuts were only one cent. There was talk of buying a barge to transport pupils living in North Saugus across Lily Pond. The Bay State Street Railway was paid $600 for transporting pupils to school. The sum of $51,207.29 was appropriated for the new addition to the high school. The new addition was opened for public inspection on Friday, September 7th, 1917. The fi rst class was held on Monday, September 10th. The building now held 850 pupils. The building now looked much as it does today with the exception of the Junior High Annex. The superintenLaw Offices of JOSEPH D. CATALDO, P.C. “ATTORNEYS AND COUNSELORS AT LAW” • ESTATE/MEDICAID PLANNING • WILLS/TRUSTS/ESTATES • INCOME TAX PREPARATION • WEALTH MANAGEMENT • RETIREMENT PLANNING • ELDER LAW 369 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 (617)381-9600 JOSEPH D. CATALDO, CPA, CFP, MST, ESQUIRE. AICPA Personal Financial Specialist Designee www.eight10barandgrille.com OPEN DAILY FOR DINNER AT 4 PM. CATCH THE CELTICS, BRUINS & NCAA SPORTS ON OUR 6 LARGE SCREEN TV'S! om dent, extolling the new stereopticon, quoted President Eliot of Harvard as saying that “a school would as soon get along without a teacher as without a stereopticon.” The principal suggested a large athletic fi eld and physical education for all students. The infl uence of the First World War was making itself felt as students collected $31.18 for relief of European children and purchased a Liberty Bond for the school. In 1918, when Mr. Jesse Lambert was appointed superintendent, the schools were closed for fi ve weeks in September because of the terrible fl u epidemic. High wages lured 33 students to the factories. Five died from the fl u. The school day was fi ve hours and twenty-fi ve minutes long. The youngest student was twelve years old, and the minimum salary of Saugus teachers was fi xed at $700 dollars. In 1920, the difficulty of Page 9 transporting pupils from outlying sections of town increased as the Eastern Mass Street Railway Company abandoned several trolley lines. The enrollment came to 806 in the combined junior and senior high schools, the principal’s salary was increased to fi fty dollars per week, the orchestra was increased to twenty members, and all school expenses totaled $160,393.23. In 1924, the high school was seriously overcrowded, and in spite of the fact that high school sessions were held in the morning and junior high sessions in the afternoon, the balcony and the fl oor of the assembly hall were used for classes. In the 1925 Annual Report, Principal Webber lauded the new front cement walk to SHS as ‘a convenience’ and a thing of beauty. He praised the new library books and equipment SAUGUS PAST | SEE PAGE 13 WE'RE OPEN! 8 Norwood Street, Everett (617) 387-9810

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