The following letter written by a student of the South School in 1902 relates what went on during a typical day at the South School:

South School
A Day in School

Our teacher has just told us that there is going to be a “Century Box,” that is a box containing town records that is not to be opened for a hundred years, and so the Grammar Schools are writing on the subject “A Day in School.”

On approaching the schoolhouse one would see a building nearly square in a large yard. The schoolhouse was rebuilt last year and now it has six good sized rooms and a hall which occupies one half of the upper floor. We have a large basement divided into two parts, one for the boys and the other for the girls.

The yard is large and more than half of the girls’ side is grass. The building is surrounded by a concrete walk leading to the gates.

In the morning school begins at 8.45 o’clock. We usually reach school a little early and then one can see the girls playing bean-bag, jumping rope, and others standing in groups talking, while on the other side of the yard the boys play ball, spin tops or play marbles.

After a while the principal rings the bell and the girls form on one side in single file and the boys on the other. We usually have three boys clapping and then we march up stairs in single file to the dressing room where we take off our hats and coats and from there we go to our seats.

After we take our seats, we have our opening exercises, a selection from the Bible and the Lord’s Prayer. After this, the different classes have different studies but our class recites grammar. This lesson lasts about twenty-five minutes and then we study grammar for the next day. At 9.45 o’clock, we recite arithmetic and at 10:15 the bell rings for recess.

At recess you see about the same games in the yard as you do before school. Stormy days we play in the basement. After recess, we study either arithmetic or geography for twenty-five minutes, and then recite, but on Fridays we have drawing. In the summer, we draw flowers, twigs, and grasses. Later in the year, we draw or paint different objects with ink or watercolors or colored pencils and do some geometrical work. This spring we are studying Greek Architecture, designing and some sketching.

In the afternoon school begins at 1.30, we have music for about fifteen minutes, and then sometimes we study reading and sometimes history until 2.10. After this, we recite history and then we study arithmetic for twenty-five minutes, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays we read, and Mondays and Wednesdays, we write until school closes at 3.40.

Last year the scholars that could brought rubbers or anything that was rubber to school and then we sold it getting a picture for each room. We chose our own picture “The Fighting Temeraire,” by Turner. Some of the other pictures in our room are a picture of “The Nile” showing some of the pyramids, a portrait of Raphael, a picture of Dewey, Sampson and Schley and a portrait of Columbus, that Mrs. Thacher brought from Rome and presented to us.

Memorial Day we have songs by the school and recitations by different scholars. Last year we had our exercises in the Town Hall and this year we shall probably hold them there.

Last Christmas the upper grades gave an entertainment in the hall, and after that all of the grammar grades played games in one of the rooms. Last June the graduating exercises were held in the church. There was singing by the VII, VIII and IX grades and recitations by the graduations class. The scholars then received their diplomas. This was the first time they were given to graduates of the grammar schools.

Gertrude Hardy
South School
Grade IX