Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-16
WHEATLEY SCHOOL
NEEDS MORE ROOM
Addition, 1t Is Said, Would
Fill Present Require
mentS.

Overcrowded public schools are found
not only in the northwest and newly
developed sections. Although such con.
ditions are more general in these sec
tions, there are many schools in north
east Washington which are accommo-
dating more children than originally in
tended.
Probably. the school in the north
east which is more seriously affected
by lack of accommodations for its heavy
enrolment is the Samuel G. Wheatley
at Monticello avenue and Neal street
This school, an eight-room structure
rollment of SIS.
Efforts to Relieve.
Finding it impossible to crowd six.
teen classes into an eght-room build.
ing, emergency measures for providing
temporary relief from the congestion
were taken by school officials. -Four
portables were pressed into use for as
many classes. But this did not allevi-
ate conditions sufficiently, and two
third-S grade classes were put on the
two-shift system. children in each of
the classes attending school only half
a day instead of five hours.
With all these temporary relief plans
in operation. the first grade class was
without room. So it was merged with
the kindergarten class. The kindergar-
ten children, however, attend school part
of the day, and leave their room va
cant for use of the first grade class
the remainder.
Cross a Lot to POrtables.
Two of the Wheatley School port
ables are more than 200 feet from the
permanent building. making it neces-
sary for children in these temporary
structures to travel across vacant
lot whenever they are forced to go
to the main structure. Officials re-
gard this as a bad condition, espe-
cially in winter. when the lot is COW
cred with snow and ice.
Permanent relief from the over
crowded conditions at the Wheatley
School, authorities believe can be OBJ
twelve-room addition. The board OF
education in its estimates last year
made provision for an eight-room ad-
dition to this school. but the recon-
incubation was stricken out when the
District appropriation bill passed
Congress.
An eight-room addition. officials be-
lieve now, will not be adequate. 1t
was pointed out that an eight-room
addition would give the school only
sixteen classrooms, and there are
that many classes at the school to-
day. A twelve-room addition is what
is asked for this year, with provision
made for an assembly hall, gymna-
sium, a carpenter and a manual train
ing shop.
Adequate Fairgrounds.
There is adequate playground space
at the school. and it is sufficiently
equipped for about 800 children, just a
little over half the present enroll
ment. There also is enough property
around the school on which to erect a
twelve-room addition, it is said.
School officials are more anxious
this year than ever to obtain an as
sembly hall in connection with the
proposed addition to the Wheatley
school. 1t was pointed out that there
are eleven schools in the division
in which the Wheatley is located. and
not one of them has an assembly
hall. Consequently when the super
vising principal calls meeting Of
her 1O4 teachers, it is held in a
classroom. On the other hand, when
a general assembly of all the children
in this division Is held for any school
function, churches and motion picture
theaters in northeast Washington are
called upon to lend their auditoriums.