The Washington herald., 1920-01-15
POWELL
'BADLYCROWDED
No Recreation Space for
Children. Investigation
Shows.

S@t INV laI even lne mooern
school buildings Of Washington have
been outgrown may be obtained by
examining the Charles r. Powell
School at Hiatt Place and Lamont
street northwest, which. together
with the johnson School. a very old
building just across the street, is
known as the johnson Powell
group" OF course the three porta-
bles are included in the group.
This group Of buildings Is situated
right in what might be termed the
apartment-house district Of the city.
covering the territory from Irving
lstreet north to Spring road, and from
Fourteenth street to Rock Creek
Park. a so lion full of apartment
houses which are filled with children.
The Charles r. Powell School was
erected in 1903 and contains sixteen
rooms and an assembly hall. with q
capacity for go on the second floor
Il has q space intended for q library.
which is now used as q sewing
school. drawing its children from
school buildings in the vicinity. each
class getting an hour and a half at
sewing each week.
All Space UtIlised.
This new building is almost devoid
of ,indoor recreation space. such as
might be used by the children for in
door games. What little space was
originally set aside for them is now
utilized for other purposes. In the
boys side one room is being used
for a manual training school. and in
the girls side a room has been taken
over for classes.
The building has a number OF small
rooms originally intended for offices.
One Of these is used as a room for the
teachers. another for the once of the
supervising principal for the third
division, and another for the division
nurse. The room intended for the
principal is now used for a store
room. as Is another room on the Sec
ond floor. This school is to have a
novel feature soon in the way OF an
emergency room, where children
taken suddenly i'll may be taken for
rest and treatment
Although this is one Of the large
school buildings In the city. the school
has only q teacing principal. This
teacher. in addition to instructing her
pupils OF the eighth grade. must at
tend TO the routine affairs Of the
bHilding. see visitors and conduct the
disciplinary court necessary TO han
die small infractions OF the rules dur
ing the recess periods. 1t is the hope
OF the school officials that this condi-
ton will be relieved by provision for
more teachers. making il possible to
assign an assistant to the principal.
While the principal, under the present
order Of things, is attending to her
duties other than teaching. her class
must look after itself, or some pupil
must be assigned to teach il.
Playground Inadeauate.
The playground space. though not
the facilities, seem to be inadequate.
However. the encroachments OF the
makeshift portables on this space TO
take care Of the increasing school
population is fast robbing them Of
the space. Aside from a few swings
and slide for the smaller children.
II could hardly be called a play
ground.
In the Easements there are only
two small playrooms left. after the
manual training and cooking depart
menus are taken OUT.
The number OF children now at
tending the school IS given at 7SS.
and the total number OF seats avail
able is given as sos. This would
seem to indicate plenty OF room. even
without the addition OF portables
However. it is a matter of classes.
Some OF the classes are large and
some small at the present time. al
though great increases are expected
at the time OF the February promo
tions. Children win even come in
from the other school districts which
do not have the grades for them.
as. under the present crowded con-
ditions in the schools, It has not
been found possible to have every
grade represented in every building.
The sanitary facilities are wholly
inadequate for the large number Of
children now attending the school.
The johnson School, gust across
the street and surrounded by am
pie grounds, Is twenty-four years
old. having been built in 1895. II
is one of the old eight-room type,
long ago found obsolete in the light
of modern public school educational
requirements. However. in its
shadow. too. stands a portable, found
necessary TO take care OF the over
flow.
Moro Pupils Than Seats.
The school has a population OF 525
children for 4Jl seats. The first and
second grades have a half day. There
is no room for fourth and fifth grades
in this building. nor even for a kinder
garten. although the people OF the dis
trict have repeatedly made requests
for one TO supplement the one at the
POWELL School. and IL is asserted by
people familiar with the territory
that there are enough children to
start another class. These children
now are out of school because Of in
ability to provide the space for them.
There is space for an eight-room
addition to the old building, and even
for new construction Of a sixteen
room building with its modern ap-
purtenances such as gymnasium
space. assembly hall. manual train
ing. etc. and there is no doubt OF
the need of il.
The two buildings are ideally To-
Gated for schools, as they are of the
thoroughfares and on streets which
can be easily Gu: OF during the re-
cess periods to guard against acci-
dents to the children.
Basement Cnntted.
The basement space. which must
be used by the children in bad
weather, Is wholly united for the
purpose for which Intended. The
playrooms are very small and dark.
The basement corridors are brick
paved and In poor cordition and
dangerous 60 the limbs of the little
ones who must walk their dark