Graduated From

Carleton In 1916. Has Taught Nearly 10 Years.

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VACANCIES

UNFILLED IN

TEACHING STAFF

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New Superintendent Checks References

Presented By Applicants.

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When members of the Board of Education met with the new superintendent, F. B. Andreen, Thursday evening at 7:30 o’clock they elected Harry Dirks as principal of the public schools from the coming year at a salary of $2100 by a unanimous vote. At this special meeting the applications of teacher to fill the other vacancies were discussed and it was decided to hold another meeting Saturday evening following the Junior-Senior banquet at which the Board members and their wives were guests. When the meeting was called the Board instructed Mr. Andreen to investigate several of the applications and he will report his findings at a later date.

New Principal

Mr. Dirks, who will fill the position of principal, made vacant thru the resignation of R. J. Stewart, is well qualified to take over the duties of the office. He graduated from Carleton College in 1916, attaining a B. S. degree. He taught Science and Athletics at St. Peter for one year, going from that city to Worthington where he taught the same subjects the following school year. He taught at the St. James school in Faribault the following term and went to Cannon Falls where he remained for three years as instructor in manual training and athletics. Three years ago he came to New Ulm to accept a position in the public schools as manual training teacher and he will continue in that capacity during the coming year when he will have charge of the wood work finishing in that department. An assistant will be engaged to take over the other work which Mr. Dirks will not be able to attend too in connection with his new duties. During his service in the public schools, Mr. Dirks has built up an orchestra of which any city might well be proud. There are twenty-five students in the organization and they are playing extremely difficult compositions. The principal elect is efficient in his work and has become very popular with the student body and this will aid materially in his work as principal of the New Ulm High Schools.

Change Course of Study

At the special meeting of the board,Superintendents Gloor and Andreen suggested that the present course of study be changed to meet the requirements of the State Board of Education as they have been presented during the present school year. In compliance with this request the course of study next fall will include a course in general science in the Freshmen year. Modern History will be given in the Sophomore year instead of the Junior Year as has heretofore been done. A full year’s course in American History in the Junior year and a course in Problems of Democracy in the Senior year will be introduced. Formerly one half year in American History followed by a half year in Civics was given in the Senior year. The new course of study will be taken up in the Freshman, Sophomore and Junior classes next year but the Senior class will have to continue with the old course in order to complete the required amount of work before they can be awarded their diplomas.

Desk Refinishing Plan

Mr. Dirks appeared before the board with a proposition of refinishing the desks in the Emmerson building. Many of these desks have been in the building for the past 15 years and have never been re-finished. By a special process Mr. Dirks explained that the desks would be made as good as new and there are some 240 desks which need attention. The varnish would be removed by dipping the desk in a hot solution after which they would be washed thoroughly, stained and varnished. Cracks and marks in the desks would be filled in and when finished would have a smooth, even finish The cost would be around $1.50 per desk, Mr. Dirks to do the work, and hire someone to assist him. The work would take two months at least to complete as all the desks would have to be taken out of the building and then replaced. No definite action was taken by the board at this meeting.

Must Elect New Teachers

In the near future the board will be called upon to elect teachers to fill vacancies caused by the resignation of teachers in the various departments. At this time Mr. Stewart is not prepared to state whether or not he will remain in New Ulm and what his definite future plans are. During the three years in which he acted as principal of the high school he has aided in the expanding of the curricular events. Clubs have been formed, interclass debates and athletics, baseball and interclass track activities, have been improved and enlarged upon. Debate has been one of the means by which the local public school has been advertised over the entire state. Mr. Stewart has been the coach of the teams which won the state championship in 1923, the team which won the district and the state semi-final contest in 1924 and the team which this year won the championship of the district and defeated the team from Minneapolis North High School. This victory reflects honor on the members of the team and their coach as the large school challenged the locals to the debate and the latter came home with the bacon after an interesting contest. Discipline and student co-operation has been stressed during the past few years as well as the school spirit and special campaigns have been conducted from time to time in courtesy drives. Another feature which has been added to the school system during the three years in which Mr. Stewart has been in charge is the Student bank which is reported to be acting efficiently and satisfactorily This bank gives students some idea of how to care for financial matters and gives them valuable instruction in management.

Home Economics Department

Of the teachers in the Home Economics department, Miss Beata Reager, head of the department has signed a contract to go to Albert Lea next year. She has been in charge of the department here for the past three years and has been very successful in her work. In the past two years the clubs in bread baking and cake making have been active. This year the cake making team composed of Verna Marie Miller and Lola Runck won first place in the contest held in Springfield Saturday and the bread making team, Winnifred Schweppe and Verval Mueller took first place in that contest. The latter two girls will represent New Ulm at a contest to be held in Fairmont in he near future.

Miss Helen Ludwig, in charge of the sewing work in this department has been in the schools the past two years and has also been satisfactory in her work. With Mins Reager she declined re-election this year and only recently decided to return this year. During her teaching here she has acted as Junior advisor, assisted with directing the Junior carnival and supervised a pageant given by fifteen of the young ladies in her classes this year when each girl made her own costume which represented some period in history. A garment making contest is being carried out this year in her department.

Vacancies in English Dept

Two vacancies occur in the English department with the resignation of Miss Marie Lohren who has been here for three years and Mrs. R. J. Stewart who has been in the department only the past year. Mrs. Stewart was not a candidate for re-election while Miss Lohren declined election and will go to Wells as principal of the public schools there. Efficient work has been done in the English department, this school winning fourteenth place in an English contest conducted all over the state this past year and in which 35schools participated.

Miss Opal Ferguson who has taught science during the past year did not accept re-election and will not teach next year. She has served as Junior advisor and was one of the super-visors of the Junior carnival and assisted Miss Ludwig with the plans for the Junior-Senior banquet.

School Library Enlarged

During the two years in which Miss Katharine Weiser has been school librarian, the school library has been enlarged and 867 new books have been added. The enlargement of the library took place last summer when it was necessary to take over the space of the Superintendent’s private office and arrange it with shelving for the library. Individuals who have donated books in that time are T. O. Streissguth, Mrs. H. L. Beecher, Russell Johnson, magazines; Miss Treadwell, Dr. Weiser and Mrs. Eckstein. Miss Weiser has spent a great deal of time in mending and repairing books and leaves the library in first class condition to Miss Holzinger, her successor. In the past few years the public has been taking advantage of the opportunity of using the library and are beginning to realize the need of a public library, for at the present rate of expansion the school library will soon outgrow its accommodations.

The position of Athletic coach has not as yet been filled and few applications have been received. H.E. Hegstrom who has filled that position so efficiently will assume his duties as Superintendent of schools at Stewart in the fall. Thus the staff of teachers in the high school will be made up of many new teachers.

Just before going to press we learn that Miss Helen Ludwig will return to New Ulm the coming year as head of the Home Economics department at a salary of $1450. Miss Anne C. Westling of Duluth, but who is teaching at Fosston, Minn, this year, has accepted the position in the department with Miss Ludwig and will teach cooking.

Miss Agnes Mary Loan of Minneapolis has been engaged as instructor of English I and II and will also teach Public Speaking. Miss Dorothy Kearns also of Minneapolis has accepted a position as instructor of English 3 and 4 and will also teach Journalism (publication of the Graphos.)

New Ulm Review,

May 13, 1925