The Washington herald., 1920-01-25
|SCHOOLGROUP
IN GEORGETOWN
Three Buildings in South
End Of Section Fairly
Well Equipped.

Children OF the south end of
Georgetown to the number of about
| 1000 receive their education in three
buildings. in various stages of age
and preservation, located in the
square bounded/by N and o streets
and Thirty-second and Thirty third,
streets. These buildings are the
Curtis. Addison and Anthony B.
Hyde schools.
Although this section practically
reached its full growth years ago,
so far as vacant land for houses is
concerned, nevertheless, there has
been a steady increase in the school
population, filling comfortably the
three buildings now there. This Sec
ton does not vet need any of the
portables found now in almost every
other part of the city.
In Use Many Decades.
The Curtis School is twelve-room
building. dating almost as far back
as the civil war. Many of the oldest
inhabitants of this section received
education within its walls. 1t has
none of the features now considered
important in the education of chill
dren, such as an assembly hall and
manual training and sewing rooms.
The corridors below are long and
dark. but on the upper floors fairly
well lighted, naturally. But the en-
croachment of buildings on either
side and the rear has tended to cut
of the natural light.
However. pressing need of class
room space for increasing numbers
of school children precludes condem-
nation of this building at this time
as unfit for children. The basement
| Is not the most sanitary in the city,
and like part Of the upper floors lis
dark and uninviting. and the class
rooms are filled with obsolete class
room furniture OF the rigid type.
which is being replaced as rapidly
as possible with adjustable furni-
ture. However. with all its draw
backs the building is clean. This
building fronts on N street
Immediately adjoining the rear
and fronting on o street is the Ad-
olson School. about a quarter of a
century old, one of the eight room
type of buildings so common in the
District, and next to the Curtis on
N street is the Anthony b. Hyde
School, nearing the twenty year
mark in its history. This building
| is. by far. the best of the three
and still has about 1t a bit of the
air of newness which makes it a
pleasure to step within its doors.
The rooms are fairly bright. In
this school the supervising principal
of the division has his office.
Rooms Comparatively Bright.
| The Addison's rooms are compara-
lively bright and good. as District
schools go. but, like the Curtis and
| the Hyde. 1t is nothing but a collec-
tion of class rooms. with no other
attractive features>for the children.
The basement is dark and unattrac-
tive. While indoor recreation is
now discouraged, as IL should be. ex-
cept in very inclement weather. the
children attending these three
schools are crowded for outdoor
play space. There are very small
yards.
There are $50 children on the rolls
OF the Curtis School. 354 at the Ad-
Olson and 2s5 at the Hyde. a total of
s99. However, this number is ex-
pected to increase at the time of the
semi annual promotions. February /.
But there are still enough vacant
desks to take care of any normal
. increase.
The Curtis building should be
placed on the list for replacement
as soon as other and more crowded
sections of the city are looked after.
At the present time these build
ings each have a separate teaching
principal. 1t is understood to be
the plan of the school officials to
put these three buildings under one
principal in the near future, as is
now the case at the Wallach-Towers
group in the southeast section of
the city.
Mt the Mckinley Manual Training
School, popularity known as 'sTech
High Mt Seventh street nnd Rhode
Island avenue, northwest, will be
outlined in The Herald.