Evening star., 1919-09-21
SCHOOLS TO OPEN
| IN D. c. TOMORROW
Officials Believe the Enroll
ment Will Show Increase
of Pupils.
PLANS FOR EMERGENCIES


The public schools of Washington
will open tomorrow.
To the children-al1 slicked up in
their Sunday best"-the news is a
source of gloom, for it means the end
of three months of unconfined play.
To the mothers who for three months
have been kept busy seeing that Willy
and Mars didn't wander off the block
or run out in the path of the passing
automobiles it will bring a sigh of
relief
Although it is nearly year since
the war ended and Washington began
to lose It's wartime aspect, school Off
cials 30 not look for a reduction in
the number of pupils this season. On
the contrary, they say the number of
pupils may be greater this year.
They point out that while hundreds
of the temporary war workers have
departed, other hundreds who came
here to work for the government dur
ing the war will be retained for long
time to come and these men have
brought their families to Washington.
Little Vacant Space Last Year.
There was little vacant space in ,Iny
of the school buildings last year and
in some neighborhoods the school,
houses were congested. Forty of tho
temporary portable structures appro-
priated for by Congress are ready for
occupancy in the crowded sections of
the city, and with the aid OF these, it
is hoped to accommodate all who apply
for admission. ..
If, however, any of the buildings in
the thickly populated sections of the
city should enroll more children than
they can accommodate, plan has
been worked out by the school officials
, to divide the children in the lower
grades into two classes and give each
a half day of instruction until the
remaining twenty portable buildings
are completed. School officials hope
to have sixty portables in service by
See Lack of Facilities.
That Washington's juvenile popula-
tion has far outgrown existing school
ia Gilt ties. is recognized by those who
are in touch with school matters. ard
it is practically certain that the esti-
mates now being drawn up by the
board of education for school ex-
pense for the fiscal year beginning
July 1, 1920, will include recomnlen-
! dations for the erection of more school
buildings and for the building Of ad-
ditions to some of the present build
ings that are overcrovsled.
Tomorrov will be devoted entirely
to enrolling the children as they ar
rive and assigning them to class
rooms. For the past few years the
first-day enrolment has been in the
neighborhood of 10000. This usually
! grows larger every day until the
! middle of October, as families that
have been away for the summer re-
turn.
Because so many families are buy
| ing homes and moving from one sec
| tion of the city to another, 1T is ex-
pected there will be scores OF chill
dren apply this year for transfer
from the school they attended last
year to one in another section of the
city. These children should go to
the old school tomorrow morning and
make application for transfer.
Americanization Program
Miss Maude Alton, newly appointed
director of Americanization> work in
the day classes for non-English
speaking people will open tomorrow
| in the old Central High School and In
the Webster and Jefferson grade
schools. The night classes for for
eigners will open October l.
| The District Fairgrounds depart
ment has arranged to equip the old
Central building with a playground
this year. where foreign women can
leave their children to play while they
attend the class to learn the language
of their adopted country.
School officials say the indications
are that the high schools. which also
! open tomorrow. will all be well filled.
New Central, 11th and Clifton streets,
which has been crowded every year
since it's completion, again expects to
be taxed to it's capacity.
Approximately zoo boys and girls
who did not 30 through the local
grade schools applied at Franklin
School last week for admission to
the Washington high schools tomor-
row, A majority of them were the sons
and daughters of families that have
just moved to this city.
Junior High Opening Postponed.
The new Junior High School will not
| open tomorrow, as was expected. IL
was decided yesterday to postpone its
opening until October 1 to make nec-
| essary improvements in the old Cen
| trail building, which is to house the
new institution.
! The old Central will be open from 8
to IL every day this week. however.
| to take enrollmentS for the Junior
High Any boy or girl who is eligible
| to enter the seventh or eighth grade
or the first year of high school will be
school will give a three-year course
equivalent to the seventh and eighth
grades and the first year of high,
with many features added.
The night schools will open Octo.
her l