Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-09-30
|PETW0RTH SCHOOL,
ERECTED FOR 400,
|ACCOMMODATEs825

Finding a public school building in
Washington which is not Sovercrowd-
ed and does not need some vital inn
provements is not an easy task. 1t Is
well known that virtually all the
schools are accommodating more pu-
pills than originally intended. and
that in some buildings two-shift sys-
ate congestion.
Therefore. in selecting a school to
describe it's conditions it is logical
that the most overcrowded one be
taken first. Attention. then. is focused
on the Petworth School, Shepherd. be-
tween Sth and 9Th streets. in that
ever growing section of the same
name.
This school is an eight-room struc-
ture, and built originally to COM
fortably accommodate 400 children.
Today, it is called upon to care for
the end of next week. 1t was physf-
cal impossibility to crowd 825 chill
dren in a building erected for 400.
Five portable buildings were acquired,
but the addition of these structures
did not provide sufficient room to
meet the heavy enrolment. Then. a
large frame dwelling at S37 Shepherd
street, adjacent to the school play
ground was rented by school authori-
ties for 500 year, and turned into
temporary school.
Four Classes without Rooms.
Still there were four classes-two
kindergarten and two first grades
without classrooms. School officials
were in a quandary as to where to
place these children. when the United
, Presbyterian Church. two and one
talf blocks distant from the perma-
nent school. offered its Sunday school
rooms for the use of the school. In
four of the Sunday school rooms the
| two first grade and the two kinder
garten classes are quartered
With all of these temporary struc-
lures in use, it was found that still
some of the pupils were without ac-
commodations. AS a final resort, a
two-shift system was inaugurated
| for the third and fourth grade classes.
Half of the children in these classes
| attend school in the morning from
| am. to 1880 pm, and the remainder
from / pm. to 4:38 pm.
+ The, children in all these classes
however, are not comfortably accom-
modated. Fifty-three pupils are
crowded in some rooms with desks
for forty-eight.
in each of the portables. The total
enrolment for the five portables to-
day is 251.
| Twenty-Three Full-Sixed Glasses.
In the rented frame dwelling there
are two classes, one on the ground
| floor and another on the second. The
dining room and parlor of this house
have been transferred into a class
room, while on the second floor the
/ bedroom has been fitted with desks
and other schoolroom requisites. This
building also is used as a post office
and community store during school
hours.
There are twenty-three full-sized
| classes in the entire school enroll
ment. The permanent schoolhouse,
with it's auxiliary portabIes,' rented
dwelling and Sunday school rooms,
has only seventeen rooms. Conse-
quently twenty-three classes are
crowded into seventeen rooms
are not complaining. The new
$780, 900 eight-room addition is now
under construction and will be com
pleted for use next fall. Thus the
congestion of this year will be re-
lieved somewhat.
committee on education of the Pet
worth Citizens Associa tion, pointed
out today that school authorities
would have to make some provision
in the near future for another school
for the Petworth section. due to its
has recommended that a site in the
vicinity of 9TH and Allison streets be
purchased for the erection of a mod
ern twenty-four-room schoolhouse.
The organization also has gone on
record in favor Of acquiring prop
erty adjoining the Petworth School
playground The s2s children at this
/ school have only about forty square
feet of space to play In during recess.