Amid pleasant surroundings, good equipment, rural children have Ag Instructor Robert Rohlfing (left) discusses a field of lespedeza 

 a chance to tat.c part in a modern educational program. with his vocational agriculture class at Paxton high school. 



Instructor Thompson Shields (left) super- 



vises Bill Horridge in shop work. Wayne 



Rich looks on. 



Nurse Mary CUkerson checks weights of 



children periodically. Here she checks 



Jeanie Thompson. 



A farm boy, Morris Weaver, who once of- 

 fended rural school, has teeth X-rayed by 

 Morris S^van, sfafe fechnleion. 



Does the Unit District Woric? 



HERE IS WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PAXTON 



TIIK l2-gia(le unit tli-liict scIidoI s\>ltiii is l)i'iii>.' Iiiril 

 <iiit hy the I'axtoii ('(iiniiuiiiitv . I lie unit district s\>toni 

 unilfs liij;li school anil grade scliools as one sxsteni. 

 I lie 12 urade> have one school hoard anil one responsi- 

 ,Me administrator. 



How is it uorkinuV Do the teachers like it'/ Do the 

 children like it.' Does it do a> much lor the j>u|)il as the 

 one-room school district of yesterday/ What does it cost'.'' 

 Does the |iarciil izel a hellei- cdu<atioriai s\.-lem lor his tax 

 dollar'.' 



It is too earlv to ;;i\c a coMclusixe re|)ort on the I'axtou 

 commuiiilv 12-grade schcxd s\stcm. 'Ilii> is only its first 

 year ol ojieralion. lint it isn t hard to answer with conxiction 

 some ol the ai>o\e (|uestiotis. 



In the first jdace. it can he said that in utiicral thi' 

 teachers arc eiithusia>tic ahout the new .-ystem. I licy like 

 its erticienc) and concern lor the inilividual pupil. 



Do the kids like it'/ Just ask them. .'^Iiirley Carlson. 1 I. 

 10th grade, said she likes the new svstcm hetter. ■'There are 

 more opportunities and I like the movies, sports, and ninsif. 

 I am with more kids niv own at;e. Jerrv Johnson. I'l. w iio 



By JIM THOMSON, 



Ais'f Bditor, lAA Record 



spent lii> lirst six years in a one-room scliool. said it was 

 a lot nicer going to a con.-olidateil school. His face lit iiji 

 as he ex|)laincd that lie had ne\er realized he was missing 

 such things as industrial arts, field trips, nnisic. and physical 

 education. 



Oi the do/en or so tarm ciiiidren s|)okeii to. none pic- 

 lerreil the one-room school. The youngsters noticed mainlv 

 the things tliey enjoyed such as vocational agriculture, foot- 

 hall, glee dull. mo\ ies. and home economics. 



iiut other factors they did not mention may be of con- 

 siderable importance to the parent. One is the fact that 

 with consolidation a system of health records has been set 

 up which \viil keep tab on the child from the first through 

 the 12th gratles. A full lime nurse keeps the health records 

 and examines the children. Dental \-ravs are also taken 

 jieriodically i)y a state technician and are checked by the 

 school nurse. She also gives I'ach ])Ui)il eye and ear tests. 



Parents whose children are slow to speak proi)erly also 

 are ])leased that the Paxton community school has the services 

 of a trained speech correctionist. (Children slow to adjust 

 thi'inselves to association with other children receive the 



16 



I. A. A. RECORD 



