Waggener High School - RingBrothersHistory.com

The Voice of St. Matthews, July 16, 1959:In 10 Years — new schools, new taxes, new educationNowhere has the change in the past 10 years in St. Matthews been more striking than in the schools.* * *In St. Matthews proper there were only two Catholic schools and one County school when The Voice began publicationJuly 14, 1949.There were no high schools. County pupils went to Anchorage High, and Catholic students went to St. Xavier or Flaget,both in Louisville.Now the count is:In 10 yearsFour Catholic grade schools with two more being organized; six County elementary schools (with one more being organized);one Catholic High school; two County high schools (counting Eastern High of Middletown) ; two Country Dayschools (one of them Catholic.); one Catholic High School; and, in the planning stage, one Baptist College.***This does not count Middletown, Anchorage, or Lyndon, each of which has an elementary school and has had for years.School taxes have been raised 50 cents so that they now stand at $2 per $100 property valuation, and the County SchoolBoard. has introduced a five-track program of education designed to give each County pupil the type of training he is bestfitted for, and at the speed at which he is capable of learning.The five-track program was announced in December, 1958. The programs are known as: advance, superior, regular, educable,and trainable. The plan will be put into effect gradually, beginning this coming Fall.***Said County School superintendent Richard VanHoose:“The program is structured to meet the needs, abilities, and interests of all youngsters. It is our fervent hope that this instructionalorganization will enable each youngster, from the trainable to the gifted, to develop to his fullest extent.”The superior and regular programs will be offered by all elementary schools and all high schools. The superior programwill be for pupils who are fast learners, but are either unqualified for the advance program or choose not to enter it. Theregular program is for pupils of normal academic abilities.***Prepare for college: The superior program will be comparable to a normal college— preparatory course.The advance, program will be offered only, at selected schools and will be centrally administered. It will attempt to providea “challenging and stimulating program” for gifted pupils.Mr. VanHoose said the five per cent of the pupil population expected to qualify for the advance program will do so on thebasis of achievement records, intelligence tests and evaluations by teachers.* * *The advance students will be required to earn 20 units for a high school diploma, four more than required by the State. Thisincludes four years of English, three each of science and math. two each of social studies and foreign language, one each ofhumanities, fine arts, health and physical training, and three electives.The educable program is for slow learners who can learn to read and can profit from other academic studies, but must bebrought along at their own pace. The trainable program is designed for pupils who cannot learn to read. They will be taughtuseful skills and attitudes.***On the surface, the plan seemed revolutionary. The schools had always made some effort to separate students according toabilities, but there was a marked tendency to mix students of varying abilities all into the same classrooms.Never had there been such a thorough-going, well-organized effort to give each class of students a program of education soclosely tailored to their individual needs.***Tried and tested: But actually the plan was almost solely a synthesis of programs tested here and elsewhere, and found tobe successful.. County school officials for years had been visiting or observing other school systems and making experimentsin the local system to see what was practical and what was not.Robert D. Neill, former principal of St. Matthews Elementary School, was placed in charge of the advance program. Thissummer he opened a three-week workshop at St. Matthews Elementary to train principals and teachers for the advance program.***St. Matthews Elementary and Waggener High were designated as the schools for this area where the advance students fromthis area, no matter what school district they live in, must attend these two schools for the advance course of study. Theprogram goes into effect this Fall only for students in grades one through seven, however.