The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-02-20

adequate, and the cooling classes do
not have sufficient space to do their
work. and as q great number OF the
children take advantage OF the oppor.
tunity TO buy their lunch az the school.
there are inadequate facilities and
space for this. The receipts for the
lunch sometimes run rs high as $4,000
In one week. This is q large business
and on Indictment days the children
crowd the hallway In the basement,
where benches are provided along the
wall, on which they sit with their
plates on their knees, This hallway is
dark and poorly ventilated.
Your committee also reports that
the High school has for two or three
years been using one room In the
Butcher school, In which the drawing
and art classes are heard. This en-.
tails considerable los of time on the
part Of the students In this department
travelling to and fro, and, besides, ex-
poses them unduly in bad weather.
On account OF the poor faeilitiesN Or
the chemical and physics laboratory
work, and for the work in biology and
drawing and art, as well as In domes
tic science, we find that there is ten
dency actually 10 discourage the stu.
dents on the part OF the faculty from
taking up these departments OF the
work. ]! This tendency TO discourage
these branches OF the school work on
the part OF the faculty may be uncon.
sctous, but II unQuastionably exists.
After canvassing the situation, by
personal examinations of the building,
and after consultation with the school
authorities, your committee recon.
mends that the association report
these conditions to the Board Of Edu.
cation, coupled with the demand thai
tire Board OF Education ut once do
whatever is necessary TO make ade.
quate provision to take care Of the
High school requirements for the next
two or three years imediately Your
committee feels that this can possibly
be accomplished by the construction
of an annex adjoining the present
building on the northwest side, suffi-
ciently large to provide at least eight
to ten class rooms, gymnasium floor.
and space for the domestic science and
manual arts departments, and for thef
lunch room. II this annex ID provid.
ed, arrangements OF the class
rooms in the present building can then.
be had which will perhaps work oiit1
sufficient space for the chemical and
physics laboratory.
In preparing this report; your com
mittee wishes to state that nothing
herein contained must be construed in
any manner as an unfavorable criti-
cism upon the management OF this
school, upon the part OF the Board oil
Education, or upon the part of the fac.
ulty, as the growth OF the present
crowded condition has been gradual,
and the Board OF Education has done
that which, in its judgment, appeared
the best to do under the circumstances
at the time. Your committee feels,
however, that great injustice Is being
done to the children now In the High
school, and that this injustice should
not be allowed to continue, as chill.
dren taking vocational work now learN
ing Fairmont High school are under
handicap when goir5 to other schools
or going into industrial employment
as compared with the students from
High schools In other communities OF
Fairmont's rank and size, solely on ac.
count of our inadequate High school
facilities.
Respectfully submitted,
r. T. birmingham, Fred Helmick, G.
II. Jenkins TIL Brett, Ira A. Atkins,
Helen G. Stockley, Ella D. Mayors,
Ella B. B. Watson.