By Grace Pickler and Edna Matthews
The Home Economics department of the Albemarle High School is more adequately equipped this year than it was last. Having these better equipments, both the first and second year girls have begun to work earnestly on each of their courses. There are two rooms now one use for food study and the other for clothing.
During the first semester of the first year course there is work in food study. It has been learned already that home economics is not merely cooking and serving. Foods have been analyzed for the food stuffs they contain, and how these food stuffs build body tissues, give heat and energy has been learned also how to plan balanced meals and serve them attractively. It has been found that milk is very essential in the diet of children, since it contains all the food stuffs and vitamins necessary to promote growth.
During the second semester there will be a course in clothing. This course will emphasize designing of neat, appropriate clothes, care and hygiene of clothing as well as constructive processes.
The work for the second year is divided into separate short units. The first of these was Food Preservation which covered the first ten lessons. In these lessons why foods spoil, reasons for preservation, methods of preservation, canning, preserving and pickling were studied. During these lessons a small amount of fruit and vegetables was canned.
The second unit is clothing which was completed by Thanksgiving. The first division of this unit was the budget which teaches how to economize; the second was millinery; the third was outside clothing. The girls were required to make a cotton problem(??) and a woolen one, either a blouse, skirt or dress. The next division will be the layette. In the table linen division the linen industry, tests for linen, care of dining-room linen, and linen substitutes will be studied. The sixth division is children’s clothing. The three problems are a child’s dress, rompers, and a suit of underwear.
The third large unit is house planning and furnishing. The subject matter is as follows: Requirements of a well-planned, simple house, furnishing of a girl’s bedroom, and furnishing of a group of rooms, consisting of living room, dining room, and hall.
The next sixty or seventy lessons will be taken up by the study of dietetics. The uses of food, composition of foods, body processes, fuel value of foods, cost, body needs, feeding the family, and foods for the sick will be studied. The laboratory work will consist of preparing and serving certain meals, packing lunches, and planning diets.
In household management the care and cleaning of the home, home laundering, labor saving devices, and management of finances will be taken up.
The last, but by far not least important, unit of the work will be home nursing and child care. The main topics of study will be the following: A brief history of early theories of disease and origin of bacteria; disease prevention in its relation to home and individual; indications of sickness; effect of environment upon sick people; general care of patient; importance of food in restoring health; home treatments; administering medicines in the home; infant and child care; care of patients with communicable diseases, and common ailments and emergencies.
As you can well see, the time of the first and second year girls will be filled with very useful topics of study.
From page 2 of The Midget, published by the students of the Albemarle High School, December 1922
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