The Washington herald., 1920-01-23
TWOSCHOOLSIN
FAIR CONDITION
No Overcrowding at Present
In Wallach-Towers
Group.
FURNITURE OBSOLETE
Special Safeguards Insure
Protection for Children
Acknowledgements.

Children attending the Wallach-
Towers group are among the very
few of the city who can go to school
in the District today under condi-
tions which. though not ideal. are
not overcrowded. This group is COM
posed Of two schools located on the
square bounded by Pennsylvania av-
enue and C street and Seventh and
Eighth streets southeast. 1t is this
arrangement which makes it pos
sible to overcome any overcrowdins
and tends toward ideal administra
tive conditions.
The two buildings are operated as
one and under the supervision OF one
principal. whose headquarters is in
the Wallach building. one of this
very old school buildings of the city.
having been erected some fifty years
ago.
The WalIach School is a fourteen
room building. with no assembly
hall OF any of the special features
considered necessary in the modern
education of grade children. For in
stance, children of this school have
10 20 some distance to the Il. L.
French Manual Training School. at
Seventh and G streets southeast, to
take up manual training. sewing
and cooking. This is declared to be
ing in much loss of time to the
students.
As a part of the group. the Wal
ZACH School is used only for classes
above the fourth grade. The classes
numbering four and below are
taught in the Towers School.
s~ating-Room Nearly Adequate.
The wallach school has seating
capacity of SIS children, while those
on the rolls when the semi-mOnthly
count WAS taken on Friday was only
IS However. in the Towers School.
where the seating capacity is only
S6i children. there were AS on the
rolls. However. this is not a serious
situation there, as most of the
.-rades now housed in that building
are the firSt and second. which. by
law. are allowed to go to school for
half day. thus permitting of the
double use of the rooms.
Even with this arrangement there
are two third grades in the group
" which are required to take their ed
ucsIion in halliday doses Whlle
tire situation here cannot be sald 10
bel crowded at the present tune,
there is a probability that there will
be prcssure in February in some
os the classes. probably the eighth
grade.
The section Of the city covered ny
these schools has practically Ucen All
built UP and no great increases can
lie looked for due to increased eliIi-
ms. operations. II there is any serious
urSsSure in coming years, III VIII I'M
dauhtcdIy be due to the necessity Ot
children coming to this school from
other nearby sections which are even
now overcrowded and where the con-
ditions will be worse. due TO increased
building.
This WaIlach-Towers group is one
of the very few instances in the local
school system where somebody looked
away ahead of the times. The gov
crnment bought the whole block @nd
there is plenty of room for any ex3an-
lion without the necessity of purchas-
ing additional ground for building
purposes.
Kindergarten Well Arranged.
In the walIach School. where
there is a kindergarten. the chill
dren attending it have been es-
peciany looked after. They have
special entrance which keeps
them away from the older boys
and girls. Their room is within
a foot of an exit. making it pos
siblc to get them out in a hurry
in case of emergency. Special ia
cilities have been put in for their
safety and comfort
But both buildings have their
drawbacks. In the wallach. par
ticuIarIy. there is serious need for
much repair work The walls of
many of the rooms are badly in
need of attention. Leaks in the
roof have even made the walls
unsafe in many places, but repeat
ed requests to make the rooms
more sanitary have so far gone
unheaded. due to lack of sufficient
funds.
In both the Wallach and Towers
buildings. the classroom furniture
is obsolete. most of the desks be-
ing OF the nonadjustible type so
much used in the modern public
school building. The rooms of the
Wsllach are all bright and ex-
posed on two sides. as are also
the rooms in the Towers.
But the Easements are dark and
unsatisfactory for the use of the
cbESren. They have. however. ample
outdoor Fairgrounds and their use
is encouraged rather than that of the
indoor playrooms.
Large AssembIy Hall Needed.
when the children of this group
have a celebration of any kind they
have to use the small auditorium of
the Eastern High School located on
the same lot. 1t has been suggested
that the high school building could
be used as an addition to this group.
il the proposed Eastern High building
is provided However. there is a be-
lief that the present high school.
when vacated. will be used for one
OF the junior high schools which have
become a feature of the local public
educational system.
What is mainly needed for this
cropp. aside from new furniture and