1930 - Annual Convention Report

              S I X T E E N T H A N N U A L C O N V E N T I ON
Millinery consists of studying color chart, becoming styles and colors to
types 01 individuals. Each student makes a hat generally to wear in har­mony
with some garment made at the school.
This is not a complete outline of the splendid work carried on at these
four schools of agriculture. These schools are free as far as tuition fees are
concerned. Students must provide equipment for studies and room and board
only. There is no school standard necessary for entrance. The average
students have taken Grades VII. and VIII. in the public schools, although
ihere are many who have also taken Grades IX. and X . and even X I . and
attend these schools for the agricultural and household science training.
F r om my own experience I am going to give you an insight of just how
the students live while at these schools during the five months of the year
' hat they are in session. The schools open the latter part of October and
dose at the end of March. Olds and Vermilion have large new dormitories
to accommodate their students, ot which there have been almost 200 in attend­ance
tor the past two years. Claresholm also has a small dormitory, but it
does n-. it accommodate all the students of that institution. Adequate provision
made for additional students in the private homes. Quite a number of the
Raymond students are from the town of Raymond, but provision is also made
for outside students who wish to attend this particular school. The usual fee
for room and board at these dormitories can be had for $ 1.00 per day. Laundry
if not included in this item but facilities for both laundry and ironing are
provided free of charge, and Saturday morning is usually devoted to this
work.
The rooms in the dormitories are clean, airy and with plenty of heat in
the coldest weather. Also quantities of hot and cold water at the student's
disposal. Olds and Vermilion are equipped with a hospital and registered
nurse in attendance. Comfortable sitting rooms with pianos, also large library
to which the students have access at all times.
The dining rooms are all tnat can be desired, exceptionally clean, with
best ot equipment as to silver, napery, etc. Good food is cooked in the most
up- to- date kitchen, with all modern appliances.
The matrons are qualified dietitians and therefore plan the meals with a
sense of good food balance. The dormitories are supplied with large gym­nasiums
where basket ball and other sports are carried on. There are also
skating rinks in connection with the schools. Entertainments usually have
an orchestra in attendance, made up from the student body which is always
an enjoyable feature to fellow students. Chapel services, non- sectarian, are
held on Sunday mornings. Literary meetings each Friday after school hours.
These consist generally of reading ot the school paper, also an interesting
program of some sort put on by staff and students. Dances are also allowed,
; vithin reason, always chaperoned by instructors.
In t a l k i n g over school problems with one of the inspectors who had just
completed an inspection tour of schools in Edmonton, he mentioned that he
observed that the Commercial H i g h School students appeared to be the hap­piest
group of all schools. He attributes this to the action of doing things
with their fingers which serves as a relaxation between studies instead of
continually applying their grey matter entirely to book study. He thinks that
a revised curriculum with some manual training included would be greatly
enjoyed and beneficial to the average student. The Agricultural Schools pro­vide
just these very things lacking in our High Schools.
F r om my own observations, having spent January, February and March
for the past four years at these four schools, I find the morale of the students
to be of the highest order. It gives them closer contacts of friendships and