pare them and the work that was done in them with the fine, new, modern structures that now take their places and to observe the school work that is now being done.

Eighty warm, comfortable motor busses, some carrying 60 or more children at a load, transport the country children to these consoli

GRADE BUILDING AND AUTO BUSSES AT THE JOHNSTOWN CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL

dated schools. The children of parents of several nationalities, some of them recent immigrants to our country, ride to school together, study and recite together, play together in their own school, and

compete in teams against similar schools. This continues regularly five days each week, nine months in the year. It is one of the best Americanization agencies yet provided.

Some of the districts are very large when compared with consolidated districts in other States, a few comprising more than 100 square miles. A small number of the children, those that live on the extreme edge of the large districts, ride 20 miles twice a day. But in spite of poor roads in parts of the more remote sections of the county, in spite of sandy land in some districts, mud at certain seasons, and drifting snow at others, the children get to school much more regularly than ever before. More of them now attend school than ever attended the old schools. Tardiness on the part of the children who are transported has been almost eliminated. Motor

GARAGE AT THE JOHNSTOWN CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL.

The fleet of motor busses used to transport the country children is housed here.

busses make good roads a necessity, and much permanent road improvement has followed the consolidation of the schools. The good roads are not only a help to the school but a valuable asset to the farmer in making frequent trips to his trading center and in marketing his crops.

As an example of how school transportation can be organized and systematized, an extract is given from a letter from the superintendent of one of the consolidated schools:

During the nine months of operation for the school year ending May 19, 1922, the transportation fleet of the Ault consolidated schools made a remarkable record not only in the cost of operation but in the maintenance of an accurate time schedule. The district transported in six school busses an average of 262 children each way daily, at a cost of 22 cents per child per day.1

1 In computing the cost of child per day, both depreciation on the busses and interest on the investment were included.

The busses were operated every school day of the year (175 days) and traveled a grand total of 29,580 miles in the 2,100 round trips. Not a bus failed to make its entire trip, and only twice did a bus arrive late at school. There were only two short delays caused by engine or mechanical troubles during the entire year.

The original tires, which were purchased on the trucks in August, 1920, are still in use and are in splendid condition, all of them having gone over 10,000 miles. Tire trouble has occasioned only two short stops during the entire two years' operation; in both cases repairs were made so that all passengers arrived at school on time.

Every patron is furnished a mimeographed time schedule, which we strive to observe to the minute, thus securing the support and cooperation of those along the routes. Our aim is to constantly improve the service in every possible way, and this has resulted in universal satisfaction.

All the consolidated schools are graded. They employ 222 teachers. In education, professional training, successful teaching experience, and maturity the teachers are vastly superior to those that were in the old schools. Moreover, 24 of the 25 consolidated schools have trained, experienced superintendents to supervise, assist, en

courage, and inspire the teachers, parents, and pupils. This important school official was wholly lacking in all of the old country schools.

ENROLLMENT AND ATTENDANCE.

The 25 consolidated schools enroll at the present time a total of 6,265 children. This is probably 40 per cent more than were ever in the old schools. All enjoy approximately equal opportunities to secure an education in healthy and wholesome surroundings. Of the total enrollment, 5,338 are in the first eight grades, the most important part of the school system. But 927 are in the four years

AULT CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL.
Junior and Senior High School dedicated, January, 1922.

of high school. This represents a clear gain of four years of schooling for the country children. They had no high school before consolidation unless, of course, they were fortunate enough to be able to go away from home to some town school. There are now 19 consolidated schools offering the full four-year high-school course. With the possible exception of two or three of the smallest ones, all the other consolidated schools plan ultimately to establish high schools.

COURSES OF STUDY.

The courses of study in these schools offer approximately the same advantages as those found in all other good schools in this part of the State. The regular elementary and academic subjects are taught, and well taught, by trained and experienced teachers, so that children graduating from high schools in any of the consolidated dis

tricts may enter any of the colleges or universities of the State. Some of the larger and stronger ones offer good commercial courses; some give courses in school music; and most of them have musical organizations such as glee clubs, orchestras, and bands. Most of them give courses in cooking, sewing, and the arts of housekeeping and home making. Quite a number serve school lunches. A few offer courses in vocational home making and vocational agriculture and receive State and Federal reimbursement under the national vocational education act. In other words, they are real schools, while the old ones were schools in name only.

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES.

These schools are fast coming to be real community schools. Most of them have sites of ample size, carefully planned for use, and well equipped with all the most common appliances for play activities. They have basket-ball courts, baseball diamonds, football fields, and many have good gymnasiums. Play activities and the literary, musical, and social activities of the larger and stronger schools are well organized. Some publish school papers, and most of them have lyceum courses. All of these things make frequent opportunities to invite the parents and patrons to attend these school and community functions. This community life was anticipated and is amply provided for. The fine school and community auditoriums, in nearly all the schools, afford a common meeting place for both young and old.

These schools have begun to react favorably upon the homes in the communities. Habits of industry encouraged by the school, ability to read, understand and appreciate good books, the study of current events and practical civics, lead to the reading of books, daily papers, and good magazines in many homes. Musical talent developed at school enriches life in the farm home. All these and other things like them afford opportunities for the profitable use of leisure time, time that in former years was largely wasted.

The agricultural classes train the boys in the latest, best, and most approved methods of farming. The supervised projects carried out on the home farm have already borne fruit in better seed selection, better rotation of crops, better marketing, and in a still more noticeable way, in the raising of pure-bred live stock.

The country girls learn valuable lessons in personal hygiene, sanitation, first aid, and home nursing; in care, repair, and making of their own clothing; in the canning, preserving, and storing of food products, house decoration, house management, labor-saving devices, and a variety of other things that they may put in actual practice as they participate more and more in the regular household