DUNDON NEWS
RED ASH COAL
December 1958
OFFICE NEWS
The Widen elementary school from the 3rd to the 6th grade is instituting a new plan of reading which was first started in Joplin, Missouri, and has been highly successful there. The pupils of our school will be put in homogenous groups, which will be determined by the results of the Stanford Achievement reading test given last spring. According to plan, pupils will be put into five levels. During the last week of April or the first week of May, another Achievement test will be given to see how much progress has been made for the semester. Pupils making sufficient progress will be put in the groups to which they belong when the new school year starts. However, those making sufficient progress need not wait a full semester to change classification. Teachers will move them along at the rate of speed for which they become qualified.
After all, reading is the most important subject given in our schools today and is the basis upon which everything else is done.
If a student can’t read, he becomes hopelessly lost as well as frustrated and often drops out of school before completion, when with the proper help in reading, he would have stayed on and at least completed his high school education.
The Widen elementary school is being supported in this venture by the office of the County Superintendent of Schools, and the Clay County Board of Education. Our school is to be the first in the county to offer such a reading program. We hope that all our parents and friends of the school will give their full support and approval to what we plan to do to improve reading in the near future.
STUDENT WINS GUN
Charles Barrett, Jr., a sophomore in Widen High School, won the 12 gauge pump-action shot gun, which was raffled off by Mr. Earl Graham, a member of the Sportsman Club, at the Annual Turkey Shoot, on the Lower Gob Dump, on November 15.
“I was surprised but pleased to win the gun. I didn’t have a gun like it. I haven’t been hunting with it yet, but I’ve done some target shooting and it’s really keen:” said Charles when this reporter talked to him after the shoot.
Out in 45 Seconds Fire Drill Students
The Student Council surprised the Widen Schools with a fire drill between the second and third period of the day while classes were changing. The students weren’t sure that it was a fire drill, but they got out of the building in 45 seconds by using the escape doors and the doors at the extreme end of the halls.
The drill, which will be one of many, came as a precaution means to establish correct procedure at all times, regardless of whether classes are in session or not.
The council plans fire drills with obstacles set up in various places in the building.
BEST ACTOR-OF-THE-MONTH
“T.G.” Griffith, seventh grader, was selected by the Footlighters Club, as the Best Actor-of-the-Month for November. He appeared in two skits of the seventh grade assembly program.
The Club was unable to select a Best Actress-off-the-Month since there were no girls with a spoken role.
Seventh Grade to Get West Virginia Maps
This week Mr. Krise is going to get eighteen maps of West Virginia, for the class to draw in the most important rivers in West Virginia. We also are going to put in the railroads and highways in different colors.
We are going to learn the first fifteen counties in West Virginia. Through the study of West Virginia.
On November 25, Mr. Krise read to us about conservation. The topics were Farm ponds, strip cropping, reforestation, and strip mining, and how these aid in soil conservation.
P. T. A. SEES “FIREBIRD III”
The Widen P.T.A. saw “Firebird III” the newest things on wheels, at the regular meeting of the organization on Monday night, December 15, in the music room of the school building.
The movie showed the growth of the idea for a car, without steering wheel, clutch, brake pedal, or accelerator—a car with completely automatic control. Then the car was built and proved by General Motors. All of this and more was depicted on film.
In The Mail Box…
Dear Sally,
Oh! boy did we have some good food for Thanksgiving! What I liked best was the pumpkin pie and turkey. I just love that holiday. We got off from school two days.
Time sure passes fast, doesn’t it? It’s time for Christmas already. I think Christmas is such a jolly time—giving gifts and receiving them. I hope everyone gets the true meaning of Christmas this year, but I guess that is hoping for the impossible. I don’t know, but I think sometimes the holy part of Christmas is left clear out. How can people be so forgetful? Usually the first thing people think of when you mention Christmas are gifts and good things to eat. Not many people think of Christmas as something holy, but I think things will change for the better, don’t you?
Mr. Stover’s seventh grade really gave a good assembly last Wednesday. What I like about it was the kids were all so enthusiastic and willing to work. Its really an inspiration to me. Maybe it will make the boys in our room wake up. You can’t even force them to be in a play, and if they are in it they’re forced, that’s for sure. I think the seventh grade and Mr. Stover should be congratulated a thousand times for making the assembly such a success. I think the reason we enjoyed it so was because it was given by the students themselves.
The Journalism Class received a letter rom Mitzie Bailes at the University at Morgantown. We were all glad to hear from her and wish her the best of luck.
I watched the Bob Cummings show the other night and I was shocked to death. You can’t imagine what two dresses his models were wearing looked like. They were real full from the very top and fit tight at the bottom, with a black band tied tight around it. I laughed till I was sick to think those girls didn’t think any more of their figures than that.
Well I’m closing now hoping that Santa doesn’t forget me or you or anyone else, and brings the Journalism Class a lot of ideas for the school paper. We need them!
Love, Coed
Dear Joe,
I think it’s time for us to get serious awhile, don’t you? Christmas is here again, so we had better give our thanks to the Lord for letting us celebrate another one of these wonderful holidays.
Has your Dad’s store ever gotten up the Christmas toys yet? These hills around here are nearly bare of the evergreens that are so customary at Christmas.
In New York are there any other religions that celebrate the birth of Jesus? There are so many religions that I just don’t know about.
Boy! it will be a sight to see all of the things that the fellow students receive from Santa Claus.
I expect the teachers will receive many beautiful gifts from the students. The students who are giving these gifts to try to get to a teacher’s rock-bottomed heart, to have their grade doctored a little will probably be disappointed.
Say! don’t you remember a girl in the Senior Class of ’58-’59 called Ruby Holcomb? She married Danny Rapp, a graduate of Widen High.
Well, I don’t know whether you will receive a letter from me next month or not because I doubt if I will have enough money left after doing my Christmas shopping to buy a 4c stamp.
From the enthusiasm that we have been showing in the cheering section at the assemblies and ball games the team can’t help doing better than they ordinarily would. With this behind the team they ought to chalk up many wins over the other teams.
P. S. I’ll try to see you at one of your games..
Your Friend,
Yul Flip
