Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-08-25
Consolidated schools

Anderson County Tenn. has more
than half completed an extensive plan
of providing consolidated schools for
all children In the county. This is
an east Tennessee county, directly
west of Knox county, in which the
city OF Knoxville is located Ii is
semi-mountainous. In the southern
i part the valleys are narrow and the
+ tillable land small in proportion 70
the total area. Coal is mined in parts
OF the country. In the northwest part
OF the county Is located the coal viii
] lage OF Briceville, which has become
well-known on account OF two separ-
ate explosions in mines in the neigh
4 borhood, resulting in heavy losses of
+ life. The county seat is at Clinton.
and Clinton has its own school cor
poration. The rest OF the county in
school affairs is under the county
! board of education.
In the county there are now in
operation seven consolidated schools,
nine more are under construction and
will be ready for use the first of Sep
/ TENDER, 1915. Most of these build =
ings are six-room buildings and serve
territory of from eight to fourteen
square miles. There is much unin-
! habited land on the mountain tops,
! however, and the population is there
| fore collected in districts smaller than
the total areas served by the schools.
! For the buildings in use at the pre-
sent time, four transportation wagons
are used; three more will be need :
ed for the new buildings. making a
! total of seven transportation wagons
/ for the sixteen consolidated schools.
The greatest distance that children
may oe required TO walk in the state
! Is 2 Y miles These buildings are so
/ located that comparatively few chill
dren will be required To walk more
than two miles. The territory served
/ by each school stretches along the
valleys between the mountain ridges,
the children coming almost wholly
! from two directions.
All but two Of the present consoli-
dated schools are brick buildings With
4 fom two to nine teachers. Most of
them are giving one or two years OF
4 high school work The nine buildings
under construction at the present time
are of brick and will cost approx
mately $50, 900, exclusive of equip
ment Seven of these buildings are
! exactly alike with four classrooms To-
Gated on the ground moor ana TWO
basement rooms half above ground de-
signed for manual training and cook
! ing From four to six teachers will
be required at each school. Provision
/ will be made for two years of high
school work at each school, in addi-
/ ton to the elementary work. Manual
training, agriculture, or household
economics will be required of all
children. The school lots are from
ten to fourteen acres in extent. the
/ land in every case being donated 10y
persons living in the neighborhood.
on each school site will be provided
a cottage for the principal and his
! family. and they will be expected TO
4 board the other teachers. In several
/ instances, old schoolhouses are being
converted into cottages a part OF
the school grounds will be used for
school gardens; a large part, however,
will be given to the principal for his
own use with the understanding that
il is 20 be cultivated as a model farm
/ for the community and as a demon
stration for the classes in agriculture
/ in the school.