The Virginia enterprise., 1909-04-23
the VIRGINIA sCnon, SITUATION
Needs Of the oistr;ct59as Viewed ssd
Set forth 8y Sspt. Bliss.

Needs Of the Distr;ct!55as Viewed sad
Set forth By Sspt. Bliss.
In response to many inquiries
from our school patrons, az to what
I consider the best plan to pursue
to the crowded condition obtaining
| in all our school buildings, 1 wish
to make the following statement, in
hopes that it may help in the soiu.
tion of the problem now before the
voters. +
With our city's steady growth of
population, which we all believe
will continue, the crowded condi-
ton of our schools will be very SER
ious before new building can be
erected and furnished, ready for oc.
cupancy, a year hence. The situa-
tion should be carefully thought
out by the voters, as there are sev-
eral other important questions. to
be solved. besides the mere one of
supplying MORE SPACE in SOME SORT
OF "A BUILDING. The elements in
our problem are:
l. More room must be supplied
for the grades in all the present
buildings.
! 2. Larger quarters must be found
for the high school and upper
trades. The high school has grown
over 80 percent. in the past year,
and the anticipated growth for the
coming year will be still greater.
The present high school assembly
room is now taxed beyond the legal
limit; 1s square feet Of floor space
per pupil being required, whereas
at present we have only Is square
feet; aud next year there will be still
less, which condition will force the
high school to be seated in the audi
torium. The present Laboratories
and recitation rooms are also in
adequate.
g. The manual training and DOM
estic science departments are not
we'll housed in their present low
basement rooms, and are deserving
of larger and better quarters in
which to work aud expand. Also in
connection with this work provision
should be made for class IN the
elements of agriculture, if we are to
keep pace with the best schools in
the country.
4. The young people of the Vir-
ginia;schools are sadly is need of a
good gymnasium, well equipped
and: modern in it's apsss5intmcnts.
They are not only in need of q gym.
nasium but they are DKsERv1NG of
one. The voters shc.afl not lose
sight of this fact.
s. The present Athletic Field
should not be spoiled for ororganized
games like football aud baseball, if
this possibly can be avoided. Over
200 American cities last year spent
large sums of money providing play
grounds for the children, which
costly oversight should5 not be al
lowed to pass unchailenged in
young and growing cities like Vir.
ginia. hope the good people of
our city will not forget that tchildren
like to play, and that playground
centrally located should be provid.
ed. for outdoor sports. Open air
sports both in summer and winter
have come to be almost prime
necessity in our modern strenuous
life.
The above points are the elements
in the problem to be worked out by
the school board and the voters, if
the. real needs of the schools are to
be considered, and the REAL NEEDS
of the schools are the ONLY THINGS
that SHOULD BE CONSIDERED in this
whole matter.
The following plan which l have
been asked by many of our citizene
to outline, if carried out, will satisfy
the present and future needs of our
schools better than any other plan
that, I have yet: heard discussed
First let me preface this by sayina
that in my judgment the erection
of grade bnildin&s in the north and
south parts Of the city, ortherazine
Of the Central school and erecting
lasgrade building on that site would
uot.in any way answer our presen,
need.
The building to be erected should
be- NEAR. the Roosevelt. Without
Igqing too much into detail, it should
contain adequate quarters for q
modern we'll l.equipped technical
high school, including la aboratories
manual training shops, draughting
room, domestic science rooms, com
mercial rooms, museum, library
Office, gymnasium with lockers
bathing stalls, etc. and not less thar
elk good.sized grade rooms for thu
eighth, seventh and possibly son1'
of the sixth grades.
This building could be erected O,
a site Immediately east of the koose
osA