January 13, 1918

FALLS COUNTY COUNTY SCHOOL NOTES

By G. A. Pringle

GRADY

The Grady school, nine miles east of Marlin, is a two-teacher school, with Miss Lola Belle Wilson as principal and Miss Willie Mae Adams as primary teacher.

Both teachers are doing their second year’s work here and, with last year’s work as a basis, they are doing very satisfactory work. The primary teacher has been sick for a few days and her sister, Miss Gertrude Adams, is doing substitute work during her illness.

The trustees have put in nice, new single desks in both rooms and the children are being urged to keep them nice and clean. The school has two basketball courts and they are planning to have some playground apparatus installed.

STRANGER

This is one of the first communities settled in the county and has always maintained a good school. The school has turned out some very prominent men in the past and many of the young men and women of right recent years are making good, and, with proper encouragement and co-operation, many of the boys and girls in school there today will hold prominent positions and become valuable citizens in the communities where they may live twenty years from now.

The building is large and commodious. In fact, someone said there was sufficent material in it to build a modern new building, which will probably be done within the next few years.

The school has three teachers, R. C. Meads, principal; Miss Una Cornelison, intermediate; and Miss Myrtle Warren, primary teacher.

The school is moving along very nicely, however, the principal was called a few days on account of having to appear before the local exemption board at his home, Bryan, Texas, but although he may have to give up his work in the spring, very likely the board will grant him deferred classification and permit him to finish his contract with the school.

We understand that several of the young men principals are asking for deferred classification on account of the almost impossibility, just now, of getting someone to take their places.

The assistants are doing their first year’s work in the school, but each having had several years of successful experience in other schools of the county, are getting good results.

Miss Myrtle Hair is substituting for the principal during his temporary absence, and all who know Miss Hair knows that she is doing the work thoroughly satisfactory to the pupils, board and patrons.

BLUE RIDGE

The Blue Ridge school, four miles southwest of Stranger and eleven miles east of Marlin, is another old settlement which has maintained a good school for several years past.

The faculty this year consists of new teachers altogether, with L. E. Cowling as principal, Miss Rachel Shelton as intermediate, and Miss Bessie Willis as primary teacher.

The principal being a normal graduate and both assistants holding first grade certificates from the state normal, make it a strong faculty, and with the full co-operation of the trustees and patrons, we feel sure they will give the community one of the best schools they have ever had.

ROSEDALE

This was originally the Hog Island district No. 33, and it still retains the number, although the school has been rechristened Rosedale since the people of the district last year voted three thousand dollars in bonds for the purpose of building and equipping a new modern, up-to-date school building, which was located about a mile north of the old building on two acres of ground donated to the school by Isaac Smith, who lives in the Blue Ridge district No. 31, but who owns about nine hundred acres of land in No. 33, and who was very much in favor of the bond issue, which would give to the children of his tenants better school conditions and help them to become better educated and more useful citizens.

Heretofore, the school has been taught by one teacher, but now it is a progressive, two-teacher school, with Miss Ruth Hays as principal and Miss Mary Cornelison as primary teacher.

These are girls who have prepared themselves as teachers, each having the vim and ambition to succeed, and as they richly deserve the encouragement and co-operation of their patrons, we bespeak for them continued success in their school work, which they have so well begun and which we feel assured they will improve upon.

LAGUNA

This school is about ten miles northwest of Marlin on an air line, about twelve miles by the nearest traveled road, as we have to cross the river at the Belton bridge, and just west of the Stallworth store the road turns north and runs almost straight through the Sanger farm to the town of Laguna, situated six miles northeast of Chilton, on the S. A. & A. P. railway.

Three years ago the district voted $3,600 in school bonds, with which they purchased a site and erected a modern building, thoroughly equipped with first-class equipment, such as single desks, teachers desks and chairs, sanitary bubbling drinking fountain, a school piano, Waterbury heating system, concrete walks approaching the building, playground apparatus consisting of horizontal bars, see-saws, giant stride and others.

The faculty consists of J. O. Jolly, principal; Miss Martha Barth, intermediate department; and Miss Alma Holland, the primary department.

The attendance since the holidays has been somewhat decreased on account of measles in the community, but as it seems to be a light form of measles, we hope the attendance will be back to normal in a few days.

Each of the teachers is working hard for the advancement of the school, and they are getting good results.

GOLINDO

This is a county line school, part of the district lying in McLennan county, but the greater part being in Falls county, and the school house being located on the Falls county part, comes within the jurisdiction of the Falls county superintendent. The school has two teachers, Miss Bettie Madole, principal; and Miss Ollie Stewman, primary teacher.

The seventh grade arithmetic class in the principal’s room solved several problems in the list of miscellaneous problems, placing the work on the board in analytical order.

The primary room which is on the second floor of the building is neat and attractive, and the class is reading in the Art Literature Book. One read their lesson very nicely and copied the poem about Baby Stuart. Both teachers are doing their first year’s work in this school, but having made good preparation and having had several years experience in other schools, they are giving excellent satisfaction to their patrons.

NORTH PRAIRIE

This school is four miles northwest of Chilton on the Waco road, and Miss Annie H. Peevey, who is serving her third year as principal, is ably assisted by Miss Nettie Polley, who is making an excellent record as a primary teacher.

The school ground has been nicely cleaned up and both rooms are kept neat and clean. The order in both rooms was excellent and the pupils moved to and from recitations quietly and orderly.

The people of this district are discussing the advisability of making some substantial improvements in their school conditions, and if the prospects are good next spring they will very likely take the necessary steps to secure more grounds and build and equip a modern school plant that will be in keeping with the fine country surrounding it.

The principal is a tireless worker and is constantly on the lookout for something that will improve her school, and believes that her school children are entitled to just as good conditions as any children in the country, and will do all within her power to secure them.