The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1920-06-11

Of killing the proposition
out light from west side an
| TO THE CITIZENSHIP OF GRE
NADA:-
You are being asked to cast your
ballots for the issuance of $125, 900
in bonds, the proceeds of which are
to be used to erect a new school
building for the white children of the
eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh
grades, and to do necessary repair
work on the present school property.
But it seems that there are some
| in Grenada who are seeking to be-
cloud the real reasons as to why the
school bonds are being asked for, and
who are endeavoring by indirection to
do that which they know they could
not, and would not, succeed in doing
by straightforward attack on the
proposition. Therefore, we, the under
signed trustees of the schools of
Grenada deem it due you and the
school children of the town to make
the following statement of facts rela-
tive to the need of additional room
at the white school building and the
primary reasons that prompted the
trustees to ask that the matter OF
erecting a new building, for high
school pupils only, be subuitted to
you.
First and foremost we want to re-
mind the people of Grenada that the
school is yours and that when we
are talking to you about the school
we are talking to you about what
concerns your children, that which is
nearest and dearest to your hearts.
We would further remind you that
the trustees are asking for nothing
for themselves. The matter is no
more personal to the trustees than
| i. is to YOU. The trustees arc charged
with the duty and responsibility of
looking after and directing the pub
| lie school interests of Grenada, and
if we make an error in asking that
your children be given a school build
| ing and school conditions that will
| be as good as those given the chill
dren of other towns not any larger
than Grenada, we are guilty only OF
making an error in a good cause and
for good purpose.
With all Difference to those who
are honestly urging that the present
building be still further added TO-
we most respectfully say, according
to our deliberate judgment, that Is
not only impracticable but hardly a
possibility.
To erect an addition on the west
side of the present building so as to
make that side like the east front
would cost almost as much, or quite
as is proposed to be put into new
building. Furthermore, it would be
well nigh impossible to put up an ad-
dition to the west side without shut
ting out or off much of the light ab-
solutely essential to the western
rooms of the present building. In
truth some of the rooms on the west
side are now not usable on dark OF
cloudy days unless lights are burned
during study hours.
II it be urged that the annexes
erected there some ten years ago oe
further extended, our Judgment Is
that such extension would make the
building unsightly and greatly mar
the appearance of the school grounds.
We know that everybody would dis
like very much to see building there
that the town would want to dlsown.
We are sure that you will agree
with us that the Grenada pubhc
school has not the standing in the
educational life of the State that 1t
had several years ago. Only Few
wears ago it stood among the schools
at the top of the list, now it is rated
among those towards the bottom Oh
the list.
One of the chief reasons why the
school has graded downward instead
of upward, is because the present
building does not meet the demands
Of advanced educational thought and
because there is not adequate room
in it.
Our stores have been modernlzed,
our streets have been improved but
our school building is the same IN
arrangement and structure that IL
was thirty five years ago.
We feel sure that if the, people OF
the town knew the difficulty the
trustees experienced in getting any
of the strong, able and experienced
educators of the State to even con-
sider being the head of Grenada
schools until new building was prac-
tically assured, there would be none
to raise voice against the bond is
sue.
The time has been when Grenada
did point to her public. school with
pardonable pride. That is no longer
the case. The question may be asked,
ssIf the present building squared with
educational needs at one time, why
not today?" The answer, is, it would
be little less than foolish to say that
the structure of school buildings
should not keep abreast of other
4h;nnuc Many things that were suit