Table Of ContentTEE PLACE OF THE ASSEMBLY
IN THE LARGE HIGH SCHOOL
A P roject
Presented to
the F aculty of the School of Education
U niversity of Southern C alifo rn ia
In P a rtia l F ulfillm ent
of the Requirements fo r the Degree
M aster of Science in Education
by
Euniee Hepler Wilson
August 1950
UMI Number: EP46654
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TABLE OP CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I . THE PROBLEM AND PROCEDURE ............................... 1
The problem . 1
Statem ent qf the problem . . . . . . . . . 1
Im portanceOof the study . . . . . . . . 1
D efin itio n of the term s U3ed 4
Assembly 4
Place .............................. 5
Large . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
High School 5
L im itations of the study 5
Scope of the study . • • • • . . . . • • 5
Weaknesses of the study • 6
Statem ent of procedure . . . . . . . . . . 7
Sources of inform ation. 7
Method of Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . 7
O rganization of the study ......................... 8
I I . REVIEW OP THE LITERATURE . . 1 .............................. 10
H istory of the assem bly .......................... 10
R elated stu d ies and research . . . . • • • • 12
I I I . ORGANIZING AND PLANNING THE ASSEMBLY . . . . 15
O bjectives to be achieved by the assem bly
program . . . . . . . . ..................................... . 15
O rganizing the assem bly . . . . . . . . . . 17
iii
CHAPTER PAGE
Choice of day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Time and l e n g t h .............................. 18
Seating plan fo r the assem bly ..................... 20
Supervision of th e assem bly . . . . . . . 21
Planning the assem bly ..................... . . . . . . 22
The committee as a means of planning
assem blies ................................................... 22
An a ctu al example of the stu d e n t-fa c u lty
assem bly committee 24
D uties of the co m m ittee.......................................... 25
T raining the perform ers . * • • . . • • • 27
Checking the mechanics of the program • • 30
IV. PROCEDURE FOR SCHEDULING ASSEMBLIES...................... 31
F actors involved in planning a calendar • . 31
V acations and ‘‘closed11 weeks . . . . . . 31
S pecial events . . . • • • • .......................... 32
Lim ited space on stag e. • • . ..................... 32
C on flictin g reh earsals 33
V ariety in types of programs. . . . . . . 34
The budget ......................... 34
Leaving open d a te s ............................................. 35
V. A SAMPLE CALENDAR............................................. 36
F irs t sem ester . . • • • • . • • • . . • • 36
Second sem ester ............................... . . . . . . . 38
iv
CHAPTER PAGE
VI. SAMPLE ASSEMBLY PROGRAMS .......................... . . . . . 41
Thanksgiving Service ..................... . . . . . . . 42
Memorial Day A s s e m b ly ................................... 44
Upper D ivision T alent Assembly . . . . . . . 46
A ty p ic a l R ally Assembly .................................... • • 49
Square Dance Assembly . . . . . . 50
VII . SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS.............................. 52
Summary of f i n d i n g s ........................................ 52
Conclusions • 55
BIBLIOGRAPHY . ............................................. 55
CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM AND PROCEDURE
The subject of th is p ro ject is , “The Place of the
Assembly in the Large High School8, That the assem bly has
a d e fin ite place in the high schools of today is an accepted
f a c t. Just how im portant th a t place is in the in d iv id u al
schools depends larg e ly upon the standards held by the admin
is tr a tio n , the fa c u lty , and the stu d e n ts, “By th e ir assem
b lie s ye sh a ll know them8, may w ell be said of today*s high
schools,
I . THE PROBLEM
Statem ent of the problem . The purpose of th is study
was (1) to analyze the most common types of assem bly organi
zatio n , (2) to draw a conclusion as to the most e ffe c tiv e
and dem ocratic type of assem bly planning, (3) to prepare a
sample calendar fo r assem blies over a period of one year (4)
to prepare and include in the study sample programs fo r some
of the scheduled assem blies.
I t was hoped th a t the re s u lts and recommendations of
th is study may prove h e lp fu l to ad m in istrato rs and sponsors
who are faced w ith these and sim ila r problem s.
Im portance of the study. A dm inistrators of larg e
high schools are becoming in creasin g ly concerned over the
need fo r more u n ity of fee lin g and of experience, which in
tu rn lead to b e tte r school s p ir it and m orale fo r the student-
body as a whole* Many high schools, in h eav ily populated
d is tr ic ts , have grown w ith such ra p id ity th a t ad m in istrato rs
find them selves facin g many complex problems th a t are a
d ire c t re s u lt of the very number of students to be handled
in one school* Of th ese problems a fe e lin g of d isu n ity and
“not belonging** on the p art of the in d iv id u al student is one
of the most d if f ic u lt w ith which to cope. Because of the
size of the studentbody, each student knows a very sm all p er
centage of h is schoolm ates, and also of the fa c u lty . Real
izin g th is , in te llig e n t ad m in istrato rs are striv in g to take
f u l l advantage of those situ a tio n s wherein lie o p p o rtu n ities
fo r a common sharing and enjoying of some school experience.
In th is connection, i t is c lear th a t:
The assem bly or auditorium ex ercises can be made
of alm ost in fin ite value, sim ply because they are so
e a sily m anipulated, perm it of such frequent employ
ment, and lend them selves to such varied forms of
appeal. I t is probably tru e th a t more sig n ific a n t
lif e decisions have been effected by means of the
chapel or assem bly ex ercises than by a l l of the c la ss
room re c ita tio n m eetings combined. The high school
th a t does not, th e re fo re , make larg e use of th is
powerful character-m aking instrum ent Is m issing golden
o p p o rtu n ities to help tra in the oncoming generation
fo r the respon sib le d u ties of c itiz e n s h ip .1
F o rtu n ately , recen t developments in educational theory
1 C.O. Davis, "C itizenship in the High Sehool,"
E ducational Review, 61:218-20, A p ril, 1921.
have included the assem bly as an in te g ra l p art of the educa
tio n a l o fferin g of the school. I t is im portant. It should
extend and in te n sify the whole program of the school. I t
becomes the s p iritu a l center of the school, and gives tone
2
to the in s titu tio n . Above a ll i t develops m orale.
A c a re fu lly planned and presented program given by
stud ents, fo r stu d en ts, is an educational experience fo r
both the ones p resentin g i t and those watching i t . I t can
be a means of p resentin g ideas or inform ation in such a way
th a t learn in g is enjoyable and p ain less I It is n o t, however,
a sim ple m atter to produce such an assem bly. I t takes tim e,
thought, tra in in g , p rep aratio n , and train ed guidance.
W illiam G. Myer put th is fa c t very c le a rly before h is readers
in a recen t issue of The C learing House, an educational maga
zine, when he made th e follow ing statem ents
While some In s titu tio n s in sp ire th e ir students
w ith ex cellen t assem bly program s, oth er schools
b lin d ly sin against th e ir young charges by subm it
tin g them to weekly mass m eetings th a t in s u lt the
In te llig e n c e and emotions of even the youngest
le a rn e r. Many assem blies in American high schools
are g lo rifie d concentration camps, w ith unthinking
teachers as ”S. S .“guards to pounce upon “m isbe
having” stud ents who p ro te st ag ain st boredom and
s tu p id ity in high places by squirm ing, w hispering,
or sle e p in g .3
2 H.G. M iller, The Auditorium S ocial A rts (New York:
D. C. Heath and Company, 1932), p . 66.
3 W illiam G. Meyer, “Assem blies or C oncentration
Camps?”, The C learing House, 24:43-44, 1949.
As th ere is l i t t l e disagreem ent concerning the impor
tance of the assem bly, the im portance of th is problem is c le a r.
B etter o rg an izatio n , content, and p rep aratio n of assem blies
is c e rta in ly to be d esired , and the purpose of th is study
was to fu rth e r these ends.
I I . DEFINITION OF TERMS
For the sake of c la rity c e rta in term s used in the
study should be defined.
Assembly. A u th o rities agree g en erally as to the d e fi
n itio n * W. W. C harters defines the assem bly In these words:
The assem bly is an e x tra -c u rric u la r a c tiv ity
conducted by p upils and teachers and recognized
by the school as a means of tra in in g in th a t phase
of constructiv e dem ocratic c itiz e n sh ip which has
to do w ith mass in stru c tio n through public m eetings.
This ra th e r glowing d e fin itio n Is given by H.C.
McKown:
The assem bly is a common m eeting ground, a
place where a ll cooperate fo r the pleasure and
w ell being of the whole; where a ll bring th e ir
best and choicest experiences in the most
a ttra c tiv e form .
G enerally speaking, i t is a m eeting of th e stu d en t-
4 W. W. C harters, The Teaching of Id eals (Boston:
The MacMillan Company, 19&7) • pp. 1*77-76
5 H. C. McKown, Assembly and Auditorium A c tiv itie s
(New York: The MacMillan Company, 1931) . p. '2.
