The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-07-24
IFA|RNONTS SCHOOLS
must KEEP PACE
WITH CITY GROWTH
Annual Report Points Out
Many Necessary I'm
provements.
NEED FREE TEXT BOOKS
Adequate Housing, a School
Nurse and Fairgrounds
Are Taken Up.

IN order to keep pace with the
vtimes and maintain u high standard
flor our city schools, the schools Of
Fairmont Independent district must
make strides during the coming year
and by SO doing increase the school
facilities necessary to properly house
and equip various buildings and to in
troduce various necessary and needed
reforms. These and many more such
pertinent facts are contained in the
annual report submitted to the Board
of Education of Fairmont Independ-
emit school district at the last meeting
of the board held previous to the be-
ginning of the school year, July 1, by
City Superintendent of Schools Otis
i, g. Wilson.
Free text books for the city schools
is regarded by school officials as one
OF the necessary requisites for the
progress of the schools. The matter
of providing free text books is quite
generally in vogue throughout the
United States, while in West Virginia
q sperhaps one-third of the pupils are
W4rnished with free books. In Marion
county Fairmont and Lincoln districts
provide free books for the pupils and
Fairmont Independent district should
certainly not be behind this progress
sive movement. To begin all at once
to furnish free text books to pupils in
these schools would mean the outlay
of such sum of money that would
perhaps be prohibitive, but the matter
could be gradually brought about by
the furnishing of certain books to GER
tain grades until system was estab-
lished which would not entail hard
ship on the city. 1t is brought out
that the purchase of text books is q
great hardship on some families
where theer are number of children
and the income is limited, and that
often these children are hampered in
their work by not being promptly pro-
yided with the required books.
1t is the concensus of opinoin Of
those closest in touch with the local
situation that free text books should
be furnished at once.
Adequate Fairgrounds is another
innovation in the school work of this
city which is strongly urged by school
officials who desire that the Board of
Education take some steps to bring
cgSbout condition whereby play
grounds may be maintained under the
direction of the schools during the
summer or vacation months. The
value of recreation for children can
no longer be questioned and cities all
over the world are expendlng millions
of dollars annually on Fairgrounds,
parks and other recreation centers,
and no city of any consequence can
afford to neglect to provide suitable
recreation centers for children resid-
ing in 1t. In this connection 1t is
brought out in the report that the
Woman's club, which successfully
maintained for several yars play
grounds during the vacation period,
desires to turn over to the Board Uf
Education all its equipment and. ap-
paratus provided the Board will see
at to maintain these grounds for the
use of the children. The cost OF this
activity is estimated at six hundred
dollars for summer of six weeks.
The development of the Evening
school project for the city of Fair
mont is urged in the report, and the
fact is brought out that several OF
RSthese schools should be provided, tc
xt1fApcated in various sections of the
( Nk<Hrt9g. An evening school has been
Successfully maintained at the High
school for the past two years, but the
scope Of this school has necessarily
been limited, though good work has
nevertheless been accomplished
(Continued on Page Four)
( d.