The Washington herald., 1920-01-26
NOGYMNACIUM
ATTECH HIGH
Boys Train at Private Quar-
ters-Cirls Have Make
: shift Room.
SCHOOL VERY POPULAR
Students Come Many Miles
To Take Courses-Shops
Crowded.
SCHOOL VERY POPULAR

With its classes already crowded
beyond its normal working load. the
Mckinley Manual Training School.
better known a. Tech High" IL TO
receive a further strain on Febru-
ary ]. when 23s more students ap-
pear at its portals seeking admis-
sion. School officials are working
overtime in an attempt not only to
ind place for the students TO sit
during school hours. but to nnd
teachers to instruct them.
The school. carrying courses, as
IL does. in the industrial arts. lie one
Of the most popular high school in
stitutions of the city. Owing to the
very crowded conditions in all of
the high schools. officials have been
compelled to withdraw the former
privilege of the eight-grade student
to select his school. and many chill
dren who would select Tech High
have perforce been sent 20 any in
stitution where bit OF space could
be found for them.
Aht hAdnudt lTdlnlnE oulluluB ln
located at Seventh street and Rhode
island avenue northwest a central
location. and its students come great
distances. The school is said 70
cover a territory with a radius Of
fifty miles. children coming every
day from points within this radius.
But they are children who have q
right to go to the school, as their
parents. for the most part. are en-
ployed in the government service in
Washington. The structure was
originally put up in 1901. with an
addition in 1911. the whole having
a normal capacity for accommodate
ing 1.1oe students. This number
was exceeded at the beginning of
this school term. when 1000 students
were admitted. and now comes the
word that there will be 232 more
coming in February as Techs appor-
tionment OF efThth-erade children
for. whom place must be found in
the high schools.
Gymnasiun Needed.
There are twenty classrooms in
the building; that is. twenty rooms
with desks for study purposes. In
addition there are special rooms for
drafting, a woodturning shop, a
foundry, and other features which a
school of the kind must have. To
give these. however. il has been
necessary to deny other necessities
TO the students. There Is only a very
small assembly hall-capacity 500
and no gymnasium: something
every high school should have. The
students there almost daily plead
for some action to be taken which
will secure for them this feature.
both for use OF the boys and girls.
The girls have been compelled to
remove desks from one OF the class
rooms in order to get a little bit OF
training, so they can compete in
popular games with other high
schools. However. the boys must
HE themselves of 10 some private
gymnasium for their training.
At the present time there are
more than a hundred students who
have no desks at which to do their
work. They must share with others.
and await the release Of classes. all
OF which tends to hold them back in
their courses. There is no spare
room in the building. either in the
corridors or in the basement. which
can be used for classroom space. as
is the case OF the Eastern High
School.
In many instances. two or more
people have TO use the same locker.
This is the condition now and will
be considerably worse when tho
February students arrive on the
scene. There will be no desks. lock
ers. classroom space or hardly any
thing else for them. and unless some
makeshift arrangements are hur-
riedly devised. they are likely 10
find themselves out in the cold. Of
ficials have not yet determined how
IL will be done. Suggestions have
been made. although not yet acted
upon, that certain classes start the
school day earlier. possibly s
O'Clock. while other classes come
later and extend their school day
until s:3U or 4 o'clock. II is really
very serious situation. and with
no immediate rslief in sight in the
way OF a new building. There is
ample room for expansion which will
take care OF annual increases for a
few years. as there is vacant ground
already the property OF the District
OF students estimated to be in the
neighborhood of 200.
shep Work Popular.
The shops at this school. a very
important feature OF the training. arc
now working overtime i'm order to &C.
comooate the great number OF stu.
dents. Although the regular high
school period ends at 2:30 in the after.
noon, students remain until 4 O'Clock
In order to get their turn in the sew
eral shops.
The need for additional space In
the very near future has been pointed
out to the school directors. but an
swering the demand from the COM
missioners and the treasury that they
make no requests for increase, they
have not been included in the esti.
mates. Additional shop space wa:
asked for as well as a number OF ad.
6itionsl class rooms. The increase In
the size of an assembly hall and pro-
~ision of an adequate gymnasium
were sought. and this latter feature
vas brought strongly to the stten.
tion of the Board of Education a:
an imperative need OF the school.
The teachers at the school already
are overloaded in the size OF their
classes. and school officials are watch
ing with much interest the effect OF
the February promotions on the teach
ing personnel. Increases in the num-
bers Of teachers have been asked OF
Congress. but so far they have moi
been provided
Tomorrow The Herald will ost-
line conditions In the northeast sec
tiou Of the city, covered by the Ed
mends. Ninth and ID streets, and the
n-Ll n