Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-09-05
Ottumwa's Institutions of
Learning Will Resume
After Summers Rest
EXPECT INCREASE
IN THE ENROLMENT
Crowded Condition of High
School Requires Change
in Time of Periods

With the advent of the morrow,
thousands Of young America will be
gin the annual pilgrimage from home
to the classrooms and three months
vacation period will have ceased. The
fishing pole, swimming hole, tramp
through the woods where weeks we're
spent in camping; the Job in the store,
factory or Office and divers other occu-
pations or pastimes that furnished
either diversion or employment dur
ing the summer months, have all been
cast aside for the resumption Of
schoN duties. The thirteen grade
schools, the high school, parochial,
academy and business colleges, all will
be crowded with the beginners and
those who will resume the studies un-
finished in June when the vacation
was begun.
The condition of the high school
that for the past few years had been
growing more congested, promises this
fall to be even more crowded than
ever. So serious has become the sit
uation there that a change in the
plan of holding the various study and
recitation periods will be necessary.
Principal w. B. Rice and Superinten-
dent H. e. Blackmar have been work
ing out the details of how to meet the
situation that 1t was hoped to be avert
ed by the enlargement of the high
school building. When that measure
was killed in the special elections it
left tho amount OF room unchanged
and the accommodation of a greater
number Of pupils necessary in the
limited space.
Preparations Are Complete.
Preparations for the beginning of
the school year have been under way
by the school authorities and teachers
during the past week and this has been
no small task. The issuance Of free
text books has made necessary the lay
ing in Of a supply Of these in the
various school buildings and despite
the preparations for the first day.
Tuesday will be largely given over to
getting ready, with the youngsters get
ting down to actual work OF study on
Wednesday,
The various school buildings have
undergone alterations and improve
ments Of one kind or another during
the summer months for the comfort
and convience of the pupils. The first
Monday in September is usually the
time for beginning the fall term Of
school, but owing to it also being
Labor day, holiday is given the
youngsters and Tuesday is the open
ing day Of the term.
More than 5000 children of various
ages attend the local schools, the en-
rollment for last year being 5,175,
which will be increased this year.
Principal Rice Of the high school,
said today that the enrolment for this
year in the high school will be about
750, with probably more to come later.
This Is in excess Of last year. The
additional number of pupils and
change Of schedules to meet the con.
gested condition has made 1t necessary
to employ four more teachers in the
building.
The Sacred Heart school at Fifth
and Court streets, has undergone ex.
tensive improvements during the vaca-
tion periods. The alterations have
been made both inside and outside the
building. New cement steps at the
Fifth street entrance have been put in
replacing the old wooden porch and
steps. The various rooms have been
gone over and some of them repaper-
ed, the plumbing repaired and addi-
tional facilities added.
A big enrolment Is expected at st.
Joseph's academy north of the city,
where during the summer normal was
taught and 100 students attended the
vacation school for twelve weeks. The
mother superior reports that students
for the term opening Wednesday are
now coming in fast and ninety have
already reported, with many more In
in this vicinity, but from all over Iowa
and Illinois as well.