The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1917-01-25
SOME INTERESTING FACTS
ABOUT CONVICTION SCHOOLS
Available Funds for School Improve
ments and How Expended-What
Has Been Accomplished With II.


Has Been Accomplished With It.
We give below the report Of Super
intendent B. 0. Duggan to the School
Officers association, which recently
met in Nashville
In May, 1916, Covington voted a
bond issue of $4,000 to build an addi-
ton to the grammar school. The bonds
sold at a premium of $l1,176 and,
in addition to this, we received $4,000
as our share of a $4,000 county
school bond issue, making the total of
$2S,176 for school Improvements.
Fifteen hundred dollars have been
spent in repairing the colored school
building which now has eight class
rooms and a study hall, 40x6O feet.
The out buildings have been white
washed and new fence put around
the grounds.
When / took charge of the schools
of Covington, in 1910, the grammar
and high schools were taught in the
same building. This building was the
old Upton Female Seminary-a frame
structure, erected in 1862, to which
had been added, in 1894, brick front
of four class rooms and Offices for the
superintendent and principal.
We have remodeled the old brick
front and added to it eight standard
class rooms and an auditorium, COX
20 feet. The auditorium will be fur
nished with opera chairs, electric
lights and fans and large stage.
The equipment throughout the
building will be the best--new model
desks, maps, globes, blackboards,
electric lights and electric bells in
each room, steam heat, modern plumb
ing.
The length of the building from
front to rear is 115 feet and the av-
erage width IS feet. A concrete base
ment is under the north two-thirds of
the entire building. A room in this
basement is being fitted for manual
training for boys. The girls will get
domestic science in the high school.
The unilateral system Of lighting
was adopted, and this gives us four
rooms with east light, four with west,
two with south and two with north.
The total estimated value of school
property in 1910 was about $4,000.
The estimated valuation at present is
as follows: Buildings, equipment and
grounds, $23,5OO; grammar school,
$4,000; eolored school, $4,000; gym
nasium and athletic field, $1,000; dem
onstration plot for agriculture classes,
$500; dorrnitcry lot, 5000; making
total Of S66,50O, an increase in valua-
ton of school property of 166 per cent.
in less than seven years.
In 1910, there were four teachers
and 93 pupils in the high school. Now
there ore five teachers and 1870 pupils.
Last May, 80 pupils graduated from
the high school, II boys and 81 girls.
nf this number, Is are in normal
school or college, five boys and is
girls. 4 1910, there were seven teach
ers and less than 300 pupils in the
grammar school. This year, the en-
rollment is 1884 and there are nine
teachers.
In 1910, the colored school was
makeshift- dilapidated buildings, 500
a-month teachers, four of them be-
sides the principal, an enrolment less
than 200, attendance barely so per
cent. We were ashamed of it. Today,
the enrolment is $40 with eight teach
ers, five of whom have college or
normal school training and three high
school Diplomas. The attendance will
average So per cent. One of the eight
teachers was sent to US by Supervisor
S. L. Smith and, besides teaching in
cur high school, she supervises indus
trial'work for the county schools. The
interest in this industrial work among
the colored people was immediate and
intense. We are now proud Of the
colored school.
Summary
1910 1917
Estimated value of
school property. /. $4,000 $66.500
Total number teachers 16 "
Total enrolment in all
schools ..d... 572 824
Increase in value of
school property. !. 166 per cert.
Inc. in teaching force. 371a per cent.
Increase in enrolment. "A per cent.
Teachers salaries have
increased more than. 80 per cent.
The people of Covington ere most
responsive and the school spirit of
the community is excellent.
Very respectfully.
B. o. DUGGAN,