b'Ahead of Its Time From the in 1949CHS Archive CollectionColumbia High School in the newsBY CAROL PETRALLIAStudents present lemon meringue pies forI n1949TheNewarkSundayNewsranaclasses.] Guidance in the school system starts when visitors.series of articles that featured one commu- the pupil is about to enter Kindergarten and is not nity school in New Jersey each week. Ourfinished until he/she is placed either in college, vo-HistoricalColumbiaHighwasconsid- cational school, or his/her chosen profession.ered Among the Nations Finest. For thisVisual education plays a large part in the cur-article, quoted below, reporter Robert Ma- riculum.Forty-five student operators show educa-son wrote about and took pictures of stu- tional movies and still slides during every period of dents and faculty in their classrooms working withthe day. During the last school year 675 films were new machinery and equipment that demonstratedshown to audiences totaling more than 14,000.Columbias advanced curriculum opportunities. Thescopeoftheauto-mechanicscoursehas Vocational students operating a largebeen expanded, and a large unit added to the build-lathe in modern workshop. H istoricalc olumbiaH igH ing to accommodate new lathes and the latest tools Columbia High School, of South Orange andand methods designed to bring as much practical Maplewood, besides being one of the most beauti- experience as possible both to the future engineer ful and best equipped public buildings in the area,and the vocational student, with emphasis on the has also fallen heir to a long education tradition.practical aspects of theories learned in chemistry It was before the Revolutionary War that the peo- and physics courses.ple of the South Mountain district first erected aTheColumbialibrary,whichcontainsover public school on the site of the present flag pole in7,000 volumes is used mainly for reference work. South Orange Center. It also offers a Browsing Room where students can In 1927, a new Columbia High School openedread the latest fiction and biography as well as pop-its doors on the corner of Valley Street and Parkerular magazines.Demonstrating good form on horizontalAvenue. Its architectural style, both inside and out,Classrooms,workareas,gymnasium,anda bars in the well-equipped gym. made it a focus of architectural studies and maga- full-sized indoor pool provide the 1,650 students zines throughout the state. and 85 faculty members with a new phase in the It was well known for its progressive educationalschools long history. The emphasis is on expansion system. One of the most important single featuresandexperimentationinallaspectsofeducation of the school program is its guidance department.and youth guidance, and Columbia already among EachofColumbiassixguideshandleshalfofathe nations finest appears headed for an even better class. [Columbia was a senior high school of threeperiod. Learning how the static machineStudents overhaul an auto engineWomen take over the pool!operates in physics class. with supervision.32/ matters magazine / spring 2019'