Morning journal and courier., 1888-12-27
4 YEARIN OUR sCHoobs.

or other C1S1Gg-Th0 AM31f8 or Bne District The Coming New School House Near East Rock.
 | The past year has seen many marked im- | provements and additions to our already ex- cellent public school system, and there is scarcely another city in the country that can
 display such perfectly organized, symmet-
 rical, complete and well arranged system as
 that which has sprung up in this city under the fostering care of the board of education. Whatever is seen in other cities that may i'm
 prove our system has been investigated and brought to such a state that it can be used
 most advantageously to our city, and the
 close of the year shows most satisfactorily
 results of the boards efficient labors.
 The most important move of the year wal
 the building of the Rosette street school ] which is a model school building. In the \ matter of lighting, ventilation and other con ' veniences, the structure is without doubt the | finest in the city. In it was made the first | trial of real slate for blackboards This was put in the lower rooms, and in the upper ! was put an adamantine material, which wal found far inferior in every respect. This led \ to the conclusion of entirely furnishing the | new Webster school blackboards with real | slate. It is somewhat more expensive, cost ' | saved in repairs that it is considered very
 reasonable. The Rosette street school is un- | doubtedly model building of it's kind. | After the Rosette street came the tearing \ down of the old Webster school, which, for \ ten years, had been 8 eyesore to this
 portion of the city It came about finally by petition being sent to the board ia Jan uarY. The fine new school building will be completed in May. It is 8 three story struc- | tyre and fully equal to the Rosette street building in every respect. The old building was three stories and spread over great deal of ground. Steam, instead of furnace, is used in the new buildings, and thus all
 fear of fire is obviated. There are in the new models large halls and many exits. \ Extensive repairs have also been made I during the year. In the High school build- ' ing the water closets have been put in excel | lent condition, and there is do fear of fur- ! ther complaint from this source. The reel ! tation rooms have been increased in number. Two more have been added. The rooms of the board of education and superintendent have been given up to the use of scholars, and now the building probably accommo- dates as many as possible.
 ' Extended repairs have been made in Eaton school, especially in water closets. These have been remade of slate at cost of some ' $1 1000, and in this way ali bad odor from wood is avoided.
 Small repairs were made in Welch school | Winchester school is nearly new and need- ed comparatively nothing added.
 In Dwight school the ceilings of several rooms have been taken down as they were considered unsafe and in immediate danger of falling, to the possible jeopardy of life. Wooden ceilings were made in place of the plaster ones.
 Many of the ceilings in Wooster and Skin- ner schools were considered unsafe and like wise replaced by wood The outhouses at Skinner school were also repaired.
 Small repairs and improvements were made in the Washington, Shelton avenue and Wool sey schools.
 The fire in West street school a short time ago did some $100 damage. This of course had to be repaired, but otherwise little was needed.
 The Edwards street school has been newly painted within and without. Concrete walks were laid and the surroundings much enhsn- ced.
 The Humphrey street school was painted also.
 The repairs on the Dixwell avenue school,
 which were made about 8 year ago, were of
 such satisfactory character that no com
 plaint has been received and little else was
 asked for during the year.
 The Woodward school in the Annex is to
 have sewer laid to carry off the water that
 is so troublesome at present.
 The new office for the board of education
 
 something like $1 200. It gives perfect sat-
 isfaction to those who use it and will proba-
 bly, be the office of the board for many years
 to come. The board and superintendent have
 undoubtedly very comfortable and conven- tent apartments.
 new purchase of a lot is about to be
 made by the school district in the vicinity of
 East Rock. It will be in the Skinner dis trict. Money has been appropriated for a new school building here to ease the pressure that is so rapidly overcrowding the Skinner school. The new building will be situated without a doubt above Edwards street be- tween Orange and State streets. The appro- priation is about $50, 900 and the new school house will be built next spring, by which time lot will have been selected and every- thing prepared for the work of build ing. The structure will be an eight room school house of three stories. There once was much objection to the three story buildings, as they were thought to be incon- venient and 6 hindrance in case of fire. But this idea has gradually been found to be very erroneous. In fact, it is now perfectly ob vious that the wide halls of the three-story structures, and the facility of having the cloak and dressing rooms upon the same floor with the scholars instead of in the base ment as in the two-story buildings, are great help in time of confusion and excite- ment The three-story buildings also give far better opportunity of being light cd. Thre are two rooms upon 0 floor each side of the wide, light halls, and thus no middle room is left as in the two story structures with but half lighting, thanks to the efforts of Dr. Car- malt, MT. Zunder and others, is now to such degree of perfection that little or no danger is possible to the scholars eyesight.
 Of the buildings lately built, furnaces have been abandoned and steam boilers substi- tuted. These are placed outside of the main building and all danger of fire and the like ob- viated. The members of the board of educa- tion speak in high terms of Architect Robin son, who is wide awake to find any improve ment in school architecture in the several cities that are noted for their schools. He has brought New Haven school building to high degree of improvement.
 As to the material affairs, general prosper ftp of the school district and it's relation to the school system of other great centers of public instruction, prominent member of the board said recently: cone great advan- tsge of our system over that of many other cities, Hartford especially, is the idea of consolidated district Raftford has no such system. In consequence some of their schools are remarkably fine, while others are miserably deficient. If you go there to visit the schools they will take you to one of the finest in the city, and you nine times out of ten don't see the poorer class. Why, here in our city wouldn't know what school to se- lect. We are remarkably well provided with ' fine equipments, and there is such homo- I geneousness throughout that one school is almost as good as another. This is an am- pie display of the benefits of consolidation. Oar young people are educated alike and en- joy like facilities and conveniences.
 In my opinion, the last vote of the school l board raising the per centage of admission to the High school from fifty to seventy per cent. is 8 move that will be of much benefit to scholars in the grammar schools, and, fur thermore, will keep those schools filled bet ter than at present, especially the higher rooms. This will tend to lessen the pressure upon the High school in the accommodation of it's many scholars. I agree fully with the l change and have always favored it.
 In finishing the account of the years do- ings it is perhaps of interest to state few figures concerning property owned by the l district. The total amount of this is about $900, ,000, which is an increase of over $125,- | 900 during the year. But there is one very remarkable thing about this property amount | ing to nearly million dollars. It is that l the condition of everything is so perfct that | not $100 outlay in repairs of any kind are | necessary. This shows prosperous condi- l teon of affairs that is very Aattering to those |