Donald M. Cleland A History of the Santa Monica Schools 1876-1951, Santa Monica Unified School District, February 1952 (Copied for the Santa Monica Library, July 22, 1963). 140 pp., 1920s
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Four New Elementary Schools
The second big "building boom" of the early 1920s caused an upsurge in tract development and again gave impetus to the construction of many new homes, so that the existing elementary schools could no longer provide for the additional enrollments. The Board had priorly purchased three new elementary sites and had torn down the original Lincoln School building to provide a fourth. Thus, in 1923, when the need became urgent, it was possible to start construction on two of the four schools ultimately to be built: the John Muir School at Ocean Park and Lincoln Boulevards, and the new McKinley School at Santa Monica Boulevard and Chelsea. [30. Board Minutes, Dec. 30, 1921.]
Similar in design, these two schools each contained eight classrooms, a large kindergarten, an auditorium and administrative offices. They were of two-story brick construction with tile roofs and were of the Mediterranean type of architecture. Each was built on a site of nearly six acres.
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The Platoon Schools
In 1924, Horace M. Rebok resigned as Superintendent of Schools in Santa Monica to become Executive Secretary of the California Society for Secondary Education. He had served the Santa Monica schools for seventeen years, and under his leadership they had greatly progressed. He was interested in and connected with many state-wide movements for the study and improvement of California's schools, and his diligent efforts on behalf of the Santa Monica system had had a most favorable effect upon the educational program. [35. Pearl, op. cit., p. 124.]
Rebok was succeeded by Frederick F. Martin, former business manager of the Pasadena City Schools, who served the District for eight years. His assumption of office coincided with the completion of the new John Muir and McKinley schools, and during his incumbency Franklin and Madison schools also began operation. One of Superintendent Martin's first projects was to interest the Board of Education in the platoon plan of organization for the new elementary schools. [36. Personal interview with Sadie Jenkins, May 17, 1951; Santa Monica, California.]
The platoon system was originated by William Wirt, Superintendent of Schools in Gary, Indiana, and represented a radical departure from the self-contained classrooms that had characterized the period prior to the early 1920's. It might truthfully be said that the influence of John Dewey and his educational philosophy constituted the foundation upon which William Wirt built the first platoon school and from which the platoon-school idea in Santa Monica was adapted. [37. R.D. Case The Platoon School in America Stanford University: Stanford University Press, 1931, p. 3.]
Briefly, the platoon system provided for the division of pupils in schools of approximately 500 into two groups, called platoons. Class schedules were arranged so that during morning sessions one platoon was studying the fundamental subjects (language, spelling, writing, reading, arithmetic) in the home room, while the other platoon was engaged in activity subjects (social studies, science, physical education, music, art) in "special" rooms. [38. A 'special" room was one in which the teacher had specialized in the subject area taught.] The two platoons then interchanged activities for the other half-day. The "duplicate" features of the plan brought about a maximum use of the school plant. [39. Case, op. cit., p. 19.]
The following are some of the advantages claimed for the program: [40. Frederick F. Martin, Annual Report of the Santa Monica City Schools, 1929-30, unpublished report in files of the Santa Monica Board of Education, p. 23.]
1. Maximum use of school facilities was made possible. In a school with but eighteen classrooms, the school could accommodate twenty classes by using the auditorium and having one group on the playground for physical education.
2. The cost of equipment was lessened, since materials for special subjects were provided only for the special room in which the subject was taught.
3. The teacher could better fit himself for teaching fewer subjects than was possible if he taught the full list of required subjects.
4. The pupils were given the advantage of being exposed to different teachers' personalities.
5. The pupils were not subjected to the monotony of sitting in one classroom for an entire day. They worked intensively for a brief time and then moved on to another environment to undertake new studies.
6. The freedom and variety of this type of program developed self-control and initiative, and was designed to conserve the energies of the pupils and the teachers.
The platoon schools met with immediate approval in Santa Monica. The full utilization of the school plant appealed to the economy-minded taxpayers and the idea of having specially trained teachers for each subject was considered by the parents as sound teaching. Adaptation of the original platoon idea was made in Santa Monica, however, only in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. The members of the Board of Education believed that primary pupils were too young to make adjustments to the several rooms and teachers as required in the somewhat complex platoon organization. [41. Personal interview with Hannah H. Ogden, teacher in the McKinley School (1927-1949), May 23, 1951; Santa Monica, California.]
Many desirable outgrowths of the platoon program have become a regular part of the curriculum of the present-day elementary schools. As a result of the platoon special-room subjects, a sound program of music, physical education, and library instruction was established in Santa Monica's elementary schools which has outlived the platoon organization itself. The music program established while the platoon schools operated has continued to grow into a particularly gratifying one. According to Wade Thomas, Supervisor of Music, the people of Santa Monica have always had a strong interest in music, and expect music to be a regular part of the program of the schools. Special music teachers provide classroom instruction in voice training, music reading, and music appreciation in the upper grades. Other specialists instruct small instrumental groups in strings, brass, and woodwinds; while glee clubs, orchestras, and an occasional elementary school band provide additional musical training at the elementary level. [42. Personal interview with Wade Thomas, June 7, 1951; Santa Monica,, California.]
The music program is continued and extended in the program of the secondary schools. Piano classes are offered at the junior high school level as well as the opportunity to participate in the a cappella choir, glee clubs, band and orchestra. The high school and city college music program, Thomas points out, extend the secondary program even farther, providing great opportunity for both average students and those wishing to major in music. [43. Ibid.]
Student accomplishment under the direction of the music department is demonstrated each year through participation in three combined community programs. The first is a Christmas program presented by various glee clubs and instrumental groups, and held annually in the Presbyterian Church. In April of each year the glee clubs, orchestra, and instrumental groups participate in the Concert of the Masters, and the Symphonies by the Sea in May. These three concerts have become traditional in the community and are enjoyed by many music enthusiasts.
The present physical education program in Santa Monica is likewise a direct outgrowth of the program initiated in the platoon schools. Part-time boys' physical education instructors assist with the upper grade program in each elementary school. In addition, special classes in rhythms and folk dancing are part of the regular program in all elementary grades. Moreover, each school, like those of equally progressive communities, maintains a supervised, after-school playground. These playgrounds are under the supervision of a physical education teacher within the system, or a student of physical education from the University of California, Los Angeles. Supervised summer playgrounds are also maintained, and each recreation center is open daily from nine to five with the exception of Saturday when a half-day schedule is followed. During the summer, the more strenuous physical activities are supplemented by a program of table games and handcrafts that attract many children to the playground at each elementary and junior high school. [44. Personal Interview with Supervisor of Physical Education Bess Shirley King, June 6, 1951; Santa Monica, California.]
According to Grace W. Jones, Director of Libraries for the Santa Monica City Schools, the most widespread influence of the platoon school idea is the continuation of the library program in the elementary schools. Each elementary school has a complete library unit staffed by a library clerk, all textbooks, supplementary texts, unit books, reference works, and recreational reading books being supplied by the individual schools. Each fourth, fifth, and sixth grade class spends a number of periods in the library every week, while upper grade pupils are allowed to come to the library or take books back to their rooms to supply reference materials supplementing their regular class work. [45. Personal interview with Grace W. Jones, June 9, 1951; Santa Monica, California.]
The library clerk is responsible for the library environment and sees that the books are properly shelved. She also assists teachers in the selection and placement of reading books and materials, and is responsible for the collection of audio-visual materials as well as the scheduling of instructional films for the various classes. The library program had become fully established in the elementary schools of Santa Monica by 1933. Following the earthquake of that year, however, and the subsequent condemnation of buildings, the progress came to an abrupt halt. An attempt was made to relocate the specially equipped rooms in tents that had been erected to house the dispossessed classes; but lack of space and the restriction of materials and supplies due to the "hard times" of the depression years forced curtailment of the platoon program.
In 1936 and 1937, as the remodeled school buildings were reopened, the platoon plan was replaced by the activity program carried on in the individual classrooms. The reduction in enrollments, the rearrangement of school boundaries, and changes in administrative philosophy were the prime factors in the curriculum changes in the elementary schools. The reorganization had resulted in the establishment of each school on a basis of the six elementary grades with the added kindergarten.
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" . . . and in 1923 a cafeteria bungalow and lunch pavilion were added [to Washington School.] Later, the windows of the pavilion were screened and domestic science classes were held there. An adjustment room was established in 1929,