The Elk Mountain pilot., 1918-04-25
THE PROPOSED COUNTY
HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING

Pending the result of the election
on May 6, the County High School
advertised and received
bids on the proposed S50.000.00 bond
issue. Bids were received from sew
eral firms, the best one being IRON
the Bankers Security company OF
Denver, which sent a certified cheek
of 100000 as a guarantee OF good
faith. This company offered Slo.oo
premium per 100000 on twenty
year per cent bonds. In other
words, the bonds may be sold at once
for S50,5O0.0O
If the bond issue carries, the taxes
in Gunnison county will be increased
20 cents on a S1,O00.00 of property
valuation. This amount will pay the
annual interest on s50,000.0O at per
cent each year for the next twenty
wears. At the expiration Of twenty
wears an additional tax for the re-
tirement of the bonds will need to pc
levied. This means that the present
students of the High School and fu-
ture students who secure its advan-
tages will have the opportunity OF
paying for their education.
From the standpoint of economy,
efficiency ard educational advantages
let us consider where the proposed
building might best be located. We
must bear in mind, of course, that
the actual locating of the building is
duty of the County High School
Committee, but they are reasonable
people and certainly will be glad to
know the wishes Of the tax payers
of the county Should the proposed
high school building be located on
the Normal School grounds or should
it be located elsewhere? In favor OF
the first proposition, permit me to
suggest the following reasons;
l. One heating plant, one ventilat-
ing system, one sanitary sewer car
serve both schools with but little
more expense than they could serve
either school alone.
2. One head janitor with but
slightly increased force can keep boti
, buildings and the grounds In shap<
with but small Increase in expense.
q, One faculty for both schools Ii
great economy and gives botf
schools ths advantage Of the seryieei
!. Of trained specialists Fer instance
it is quite likely that the County
High School if run entirely as a sep.
arate institution could not employ
more than one music teacher. That
teacher would probably not be a spe.
cialist in voice, piano, violin, pipe or
gan, band and orchestral instruments,
glee club and chorus work Now,
every high school student has the
opportunities offered by from three
to five expert instructors in music.
The finances of the County High
School would not enable it's Commit
tee to employ special instructors in
Drawing and Art. Public Speaking,
and Physical Training. With the two
schools closely associated, the High
School students have equal opportu-
nifty with Normal School students in
these special departments.
But consider the regular academic
departments Take that of Modern
| Languages French and Spanish.
There is not enough work in either
school alone to keep an instructor
busy, but the work of both justifies
the appointment of skilled linguist
who speaks both languages and uses
tho best methods of instruction.
Again, why make it necessary to
duplicate expensive equipment for
manual training, household economics,
physics, chemistry, and agriculture?
With the cooperation of the State
and the County finely equipped lab
oratories are a possibility. Without /
this cooperation, such facilities are
out of the question for years to come
for the High School.
With one faculty it is possible to
have two teachers of commercial sub
iects, one for shorthand and type
writing, the other for bookkeeping,
business arithmetic, commercial law,
penmanship, etc. What folly it
would be to locate the proposed high
school building so far from the Nor
NAL School as to require duplication
of typewriters, monographs, adding
machines and addressographs, and to
make it necessary to duplicate the
teaching force.
These arguments apply to every de-
partment-History, Mathematics,
English, Science and the rest. 1
4 At the present time High School
students have easy and free access to /,
the Normal School library of over