Sewickley Herald

              The Herald
The Sewickley Valley’s Home News Weekly
Vol. 43 No. 37
SEWICKLEY, PA., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER, 12, 1946
Price Five Cents
SEWICKLEY ACADEMY
WASHINGTON NEWSLETTER
A Harvest-Time Garden
The Garden arranged by local members of the National Association of Gardeners in the gymnasium of the Y.M.C.A. building for last week’s Harvest Festival. Photographed by H, B. Winne.
Ready for Opening Day
.The Sewickley^ Academy opens its doors on September 25 for t.lie start of its twenty-first year. Many improvements in the property have been made since June, Under the direction of Mr. Edward M, Clarke, tke Academy’s new headmaster, an extensive program of ¡building and repairing has been carried on throughout the summer, new faculty members have been added, and the enrollment increased to the largest since lt)32.
The Academy’s main building has received a thorough clean-up. The exterior has been painted, all class rooms have been done over in greens or yellows, and all building repairs, deferred during the war, have been carried out. Trees and shrubs on the Academy’s six-aere plot have been trimmed and pruned.
In order to handle a greatly increased enrollment in the nursery school, the building on Hazel Lane has ■been almost doubled in size. Woik which is rapidly nearing completion will make it possible to aecommoda'te thirty children in the three and four year old groups. The grounds adjoining the nursery school are' also receiving attention—a Hence is being set along the Hazer Lane boundary line, the area about the building is being hard-surfaced, the playground graded, and considerable new equipment has been provided.
Several new instructors have been added to the Academy’s staff. Miss ’Anita Stengel, a reeent graduate of Tufts College, will be in charge of girls’ athletics. Mrs. Paul Yeakel, who last year was iu charge of the kindergarten and nursery groups at Seiler School, Harrisburg, will direct the two kindergarten groups. She will be assisted by Miss Mary Wilson, a recent graduate of O’beTlin College. Shop and woodcraft will be taught by Mr. E. C. ¡Bert of Wexford, who comes to the Academy after twenty-three years’ experience in tile public schools of ¡Latrobe and. Washington, Pa. Miss Barbara Burnham, a former Academy student, is returning as an assistant to Mrs. Neville Davison in the nursery school.
Another recent appointment is that of Dr. Robert D‘. Nix as school physician. Doctor Nix, who has recently set up pediatric practice in Sewickley, will act in an advisory capacity on all matters of health and sanitation and will be on call in the event of an emergency duing school hours.
Athletics will receive increased attention during the coming year. Under tho supervision of Mr. Geoffrey T. (Mason, Director of Boys’ Athletics, and Miss Anita Stengel, Director of Girls’ Athletics, all boys and girls from grades three through six Will have athletic instruction four days a wock. Boys in tho upper school will have athletic instruction five days a week; girls will liavo four days. ^ Mr. Mason will bo assisted by Mr. Kingsley Moore, Mr. E. C. Bort and Mr. Warren B. Wadsworth, while Miss Stengel will bo assisted by Miss Alice ¡MclCnguo and Miss Barbara Burnham.
Dor tho first timo in several ycavs tho school’s shop will be a center' of activity for both boys and girls. Girls will also carry on a varied program of arts and crafts undor tho supervision of Mrs, Irene' Barred, whilo boys will have afternoon classes in woodcraft undor the direction of Mr. Bort,
¡Mr. Clarke lias come to the Academy after three and a half years’ service with the Navy, where he was concerned entirely with the training of officer candidates. He served first as Executive Officer of the Naval Plight Preparatory School at San Luis, California. Late', he was Commanding Officer of . the Navy V-12 Units at (Middlebury College and the University of Vermont, and of the Naval Training Units of Colgate University. Prior to his military service, Mr. Clarke was
Headmaster of the Evans School, Tucson, Arizona. A graduate of Amherst and Columbia, ho taught at Pomfret, Rye Country Day School, and in the public high school of Brookline, Mass.
Mr. Clarke believes that it is the function of the private school to inculcate in its students a desire for excellence. He feels that the school should seek to give its pupils an appreciation of the best in art, in literature, in music, in Scientific thought, and in other fields of human endeavor.
He hopes that out of this appreciation there will result a dissatisfaction with a job half done and a constant striving for excellence in all phases of school life. The private school can work toward this goal through its small classes, its flexibility in teaching methods, and the close, personal relationship existing between teacher and pupil.
Mr. Clarke has no sympathy with tiio recent tendency in many schools to eliminate from tho curriculum those subjects which appear to bo difficult or uninteresting. His Navy experience crystallized his thinking in this matter. He says that the Navy found in 1942 its whole program of officer training in jeopardy because of tho amazingly low mathematical achievement of its officer candidates. These candidates were presumably prepared for college, and yet many had received no mathematical training beyond the seventh grade. The Crying heed for a better foundation in mathematics if the young men wore to master navigation, piloting and ordnance was a prime factor in tho establishment of the V-12 and V-5 programs. Even under intensive college training in the mathematics which should have been learned in secondary school, many young men were dropped out of the program, They had never learnod to master a difficult task.
Prom his Navy experience Mr. Clarke also concluded, that American youth needs better training in athletics. Tho Navy found too many young man Soft, undeveloped, and with faulty posture. He ’believes that tho Academy should see that each student—not merely those on varsity teams—is given daily athletics, which will dovelop ' good posture, skills in various sports, endurance, and a deeply-rooted sense of good sportsmanship.
Prom Congressman Robert J, Corbett
Autos for Amputees. Veterans who lost a leg or use of a leg are entitled to buy a car at government expense up to $1,600. Application forms and information are available at the Veterans Administration in the Pulton. Building, Pittsburgh, Pa. Approved, orders for ears will be promptly filled by the automobile dealers. A series of meetings last week in my office resulted in a conference of tlio Allegheny County Automobile Dealers Association at which the Board of Directors agreed on a plan of action that gives top priority to all amputees who have an approved order. Any qualified veteran who desires further information or help in getting a car should call their local dealer or my office.
Russian Bear has had his claws clipped a little in reeent weeks. It is now quite evident that the United States plans no withdrawal from Europe. It is likely that our forces there will be increased. This applies only to air and naval forces at this time. European, nations are facing the choice of joining us or Russia. War scares may occur if Russia tests our poliey. A crisis is a eqmbination of danger and opportunity. Perhaps this growing crisis will find a basis for cooperation and peace or war will be inevitable.
Cecil B. deMille. Foundation is vitally interested in the publie opinion polls.we conducted in our district. The "Foundation” is planning nation-wide^ surveys of public opinion to counteract pressure groups. One of their representatives came to Pittsburgh last week to dismiss our plan and methods with me.' There is a real possibility that when the new Congress convenes that our poll plan will he utilized on a national basis.
Food and Prices. Too many observers continue to overlook tho basie fact that the new OPA law is a decontrol program. According to its specific language its objective is to end all price control not definitely demanded by critical shortages by next June 30. Subsidies go off April 1. The current meat shortage is primarily the fault of original owners of live stock jyho are holding their animals hack in the hops of getting top prices again. A little less greed in some places could have resulted in meat prices remaining decontrolled and they will not be-decontrolled again under this law until it is certain that production can hold prices down to reasonable levels.
Latest Indications. Increased numbers will bo permitted to make business trips into the American Zone of Germany to arrange for importations. Stockpiling of building materials will continue to be prohibited by OPA, Navy -enlistments are now only open for d and 6 year terms. -Sugar rationing may liavo to continue through 1947 unless domestic production is exceptionally large. Bread will soon be abundant. Only 50 -per cent of the cars expected this year will reach the pub-lie. Not moro than half of the 87,500,-000 persons eligible will vote this 'November.
The 38-year prohibition on the private use of autos has boon rescinded by Bermuda, says tho Pittsburgh Motor Club, but the new law allows tho use of only 10 lip. cars and taxis.
Tho Legislative council approved tho cliango by a 5-4 veto in the faeo of strong public protests. Tho top speed, limit in tho rural aroas of the island will bo 20 miles per hour,