The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1883-03-09
Our Common SC hooIs.

The following is the report of our COM
mon schools as given by Superintendent
Grimes in the State Superintendent's report
of Public Instruction for 1882:
In taking retrospective view Of the
working of the school year just closed, I am
led to believe that the progress has been
encouraging. Evidences ARE clearly dis
cernible of a disposition upon the part of
the people generally to enter heartily into
the work of our common schools There
has been more school.house building than
usual and improvement in school property
The directors have exercised remarkably
good judgment in the selection of school
sites, furniture, and the design of the build
ings, all of which are excellent. The school
term in Catawissa was increased, from five
to ten dollars per month haying been added
to the salaries of quite number of the
teachers, and many of the other districts
are beginning TO see the necessity of paying
a higher salary and having longer term
of school. There were, during the past
year, erected in this county the following
number of school-houses; In Catawissa,
one; in Conyngham, one; in Greenwood,
one; in Briar Creek, two
The Catawissa. scho ol-house, like the
Bloomsbury State Normal School, is situat
ed at the head of Main street, on knoll
overlooking the town. Few towns, indeed,
are so highly favored by nature with sucl
beautiful school-ground. The building
is in the form of a cross. On the first flool
there are three rooms, each twenty-six fee
by thirty-one feet; two recitation. rooms
each eleven feet by twelve feet, one eigh
feet by twenty feet. Opening into eacf
room is a clothes-room, supplied will
hooks for hanging up outside garments, &c
There are, also, two halls. one ten feet by
seventy feet, the other seven feet by thirty.
eight feet The entrances TO the different
rooms are separate, so that while passing
in and out the pupils do not come in con
tact with each other. The partition be
tween two of the rooms on the second flool
is so arranged that it can be easily removed
thus making "a hall twenty-six feet by sew.
enty feet. A tower rising from the center
with dormer windows on either side, adds
beauty and variety to the whole structure.
1t is heated by steam, and is covered will
a slate roof Its cost was about fourteen
thousand dollars In point of location, size
economy of room, convenience of sarrange
ment, ventilation, heating, etc, it is one o
the very best, if not the best, in the county
The Conyngham house is one story high
has two rooms, about twenty-six feet b.
twenty eight feet each. In short, the build
ings are all large, have high ceilings, ante
rooms in which to deposit wrappings, din
ner, etc, plenty of blackboard surface
good out-buiIdings, and provided with tn
very best patent furniture, This is an en-
couraging sign Of the time, since it has no
been very many years ago when many o
the buildings were furnished with seat
made by the contractor, and with an insult
ficient blackboard surface.
Very few of the schools, | am sorry /
say, are well supplied with apparatus. Thi
is unfortunate, and is asubject which d,
mands the immediate attention of the schoC
officers. Outside the larger towns foun
but few unabridged dictionaries, except /
Montour township, where all of the schoo
were supplied during the past term wit
iWebster's Unabridged. About fifty p,