The Republican journal., 1907-08-15
AN URGENT NEED.
A New School Building. What is Said OF
the Present Buildings.

A New School Building. What is Said OF
the Present Buildings.
In the first annual report of the school
committee lS95) President A. c. Sibley
called attention to the needs of the school
buildings and in particular to the poor
ventilation. He said: LACK of proper
ventilation is one of the most serious draw
backs to the efficiency of our schools, and
the health of teachers and pupils at the
present time suffer in consequence" The
superintendent, 0. c. Evans, said: "With
the exception Of the North Primary no
school building in Belfast has any ar
rangment for ventilation" He also referred
to the serious defects in the lighting of our
school buildings, which should be remedied
if possible. And further: From careful
observation l am led to believe that nine
tenths of all the trouble in our schools is
caused by bad air, poor light and slovenly
surroundings.
In the report for 1896 the President,
Charles F. CHM, spoke of the crowded, ILL.,
ventilated rooms and the insufficient heat
ing apparatus in the school buildings on
the common. The superintendent, Mr..
Evans, spoke of the entire lack of ventila-
ton in all save one of the school buildings
as observing to be classed as criminal
negligence" and said: "A large amount
of our school money must be thrown away
until properly arranged buildings are pro-
vided.''
In the report for 1897 the superintendent,
F. S. Brick, refers to the over-crowded con-
dition of all the schools, with one excep-
ton.
In the report for 1898 the President, Rev.
j. F. Tilton, says: Teachers and pupils
cannot be expected to be in the best physi-
cal and mental condition and do their best
work SO long as they are crowded together
! in unattractive, ill-ventilated, poorly equip
ped rooms, with only about one half the air
capacity and floor space which the best
sanitary authorities have declared neces-
sary.' "The crying need of the hour is new
school buildings" The superintendent,
F. S. Brick, says: "Ir is my duty again to
call the attention TO the crowded conditions
of our schools
President W. G, Hatch says in the report
for 1899; "The addition to the North Pri-
mary school building has materially advanc-
ed the value of that school. The other
buildings are in fair condition as to repairs,
but several of them are i'll adapted for the
purposes for which they are used. We
hope the day is not far distant when our
city will be in condition, financially, to
provide more commodious buildings for the
higher grades" The superintendent, F. S.
! Brick, called attention to repairs and i'm
! proTements needed.
! In the report for 1900 the President,
| Charles A, Pilsbury, says: "But little has
been done 10 the Grammar and High school
| buildings, as it is felt that they must, sooner
| OF later, give way to modern and properly
equipped editce that will accommodate the
four schools now occupying two old build
| ingS. The High school, in particular, needs
more room and better facilities, and should
have them
President Charles A. Pilsbury says in
the report for 1901: sit would seem that
the time has arrived when something must
| be done to relieve the congestion that
| threatens the health and retards the ad-
vancement of the pupils and handcaps the
efforts of the teachers. Increased room
must be provided in some way and as there
! is no immediate prospects of securing the
much needed modern school building, an
! enlargement of the present High school
building seems to be the most feasible and
economical plan. In this matter it would
| be advisable to consult an architect who
| has had experience with school buildings -
| The superintendent, John r. Dunton, poke e
OF the urgent need of more room, and of the
danger to the health of pupils when crowd
ed together with insufficient air space and
no ventilation, except by means of doors
and windows.
| President Charles S. Bickford says in the
report for 1902: "While the fitting up of the
additional room in the High school building
for the occupancy of the first year class has
relieved the congestion in the High school,
the other rooms on the Common are still
crowded so that the best results cannot be
obtained, and if the attendance there con-
tinues as it has for the past few years the
city must expect to be called upon to pro-
vide more room in the near future" The
superintendent, John R. Dunton, said
MANY Of our school rooms in the city prop
er are such as to call for apologies when
shown to visitors, and all agree, think, as
to the need o. a modern and commodious
building on the Common to accommodate
all lower grade schools
In the report for 1908 President Charles
| S. Bickford said:
Your attention is once more called most
emphatically to the necessity of making
/ some move toward the better housing Of
the pupils in the central schools That this
is no new need is shown by the fact that
more than thirty years ago the late Judge
| Williamson wrote in his History of Belfast
"The accommodations for instruction in the
central district are entirely inadequate to
public requirements" If this was true then,
the necessity for better provision must be
more imperative now. The buildings are
antiquated, ill-adapted to their purpose and
impossible of remodeling. There is not a
school in the old Central District that is
adequately or suitably housed. The only
| public schOOlhouse ever built in the old
/ Central District is now the Grammar school
and was built in 1928. The High school
building is merely an adaptation of the old
Town House, built in 1924 none of it was
| built for school purposes and at best it was
but temporary makeshift. The North
Primary, sixty years old, is but trans
migrated vestry, and the South Primary,
about the same age, was never intended to
accommodate so MANY OunilS and outlivpd