Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-05
New Building Wanted Badly in West
Washington.
TRUSTEE WILSON'S STRONG LETTER
Entirely Inadequate Provisions for
Pupils in Curtis Building.
s 1 o o., 900 w a \ T E d

SOme days ago Mr.. Jesse ii. wilson, truS-
tee of the public schools for the fifth di-
vision, in a letter to the Commissioners
urged that Congress be asked to appropriate
sufficient funds for the erection of high
school In his division.
Commissioner Ross, under whom the di-
rect supervision of the public schools comes.
in replying to the letter stated that as Con-
gress was retrenching considerably on the
Districts appropriation only the most ur-
gent public improvements would be allowed.
He suggested, however, that Mr.. Wilson
write the Commissioners a letter setting
forth at length the reeds of high school
In that section. Today the Commissioners
received the following in relation thereto:
In response to your letter calling for
certain information regarding the con-
dition of the public schools of the fifth
division, and that you may have facts be-
fore you showing that the interest evinced
by me and also by the citizens generally
residing in the fifth school division,
speeding the building of a high school in
that division. is based upon a real necessi-
ty, and that the appropriation of the sum
of 100000 for the purchase of a site and
erection of such building should be earnest
~ recommended and heartily Endorsed, /
have the honor to submit the following:
\ Site Needed.
First, in regard to the amount of the APP
the event of the purchase of a new site,
and for this / see no help. the District own
irg no available ground in this school dis
trict. We have all agreed yourself, the in
spector of buildings and his assistants. that
all of that amount will be needed.
Its EncrOachment.
in respect to the need of the building at
this time. 1 need not remind you that by
reason of the growth of our city, both in
point of population and from an educational
standpoint and the steadily increasing favor
of the public school system in the eyes of
the community, the High School first es-
tablished soon became inadequate to ac-
commOdate the demand upon IL, so that
buildings adapted especially for this course
of instruction, and to accommodate this
growing demand, were gradually erected or
secured. The Central. on o street between
9Th and 9TH streets; the Eastern, on eth
street between Pennsylvania avenue and G
street southeast; the Business, on 7th be-
tween z ard Q streets Three years ago 1t
became necessary to establish still another
branch, and, to accommodate the western
part of the District, it was located in
Georgetown, and so urgent was the need
for more accommodations that there was
no time to wait for special building, and
IL so happened that the graded schools were
so well accommodated in point of buildings
that there was room in the Curtis building,
on o street between sd and 33d Streets
for the sixty-four pupils who were enrolled
upon the Western High School that year.
but the High School grew so rapidly that 1t
gradually forced out all the graded schools
from this building and only one remains
an eighth grade school of forty-eisht pu-
pills. The enrolment of the Western High
School is follows: 1901. "a; 1912, 49,
1928, 173; 1884. 212.
Not Restricted.
THE seating capacity of the study hall in
this building is 100, and the estimate for
next year is between 26O and go pupils
1t is proper also to state in this connection
that while the Western High School is
within the fifth school division. It is not
limited by the boundaries of that division
wiz: All of Georgetown and that part of
Washington lying west of 18th street,, while
all the eighth grade graduates in the fifth
division taking the High School course
naturally go into the Western High School,
yet pupils from all parts of the District can
go and do go there. 1t should also be borne
in mind that the High School course having
been extended to four years there Is, prop
erly speaking, no graduating class TO go
out this year to make way for the incoming
class. The eighth grade school in the build
ing, with its forty-eight pupils, could go to
another building, and thus give additional
room to the Western High School. but there
is no othe- building. as far as can now be
seen, where this school can be sent.
The Divisions.
"In respect to the need of the new build
ing. because of the building itself will not
speak, visit to the Central and the East
ern and then to the Western, would speak
more than words. 1 will simply say in
gard to the school that it is organized into
seven sections under ten teachers, these
sections being subdivided into smaller ones
for recitations and elective work. For these
ten teachers there are but seven class
rooms, including both laboratories and
drawing room. This requires the use for
recitation purposes of the office, a small
hall room, the Peabody library and the
study hall. The disadvantages attending
recitations in study hall, both to teachers
pupils and those engaged in study, are too
obvious to need comment. The study hall
being located the third floor re-
quires constant going up and down
stairs, and the girls in this school,
as rule, are at an age when
such exercise is regarded as most Injurious
to health. The estimate for next year will
require nine sections, but the most cogent
reason for the new building is that the
Curtis building is needed for the graded
schools. 1t was built years ago for that
purpoSp"