The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-03-12
THE BUILDING PROGRAM.
Why whe cling Needs n School Build
fnu PROGRAM

main features of a school, building pro-
gram lonkinE forward over u number ot
years. Action on th"$" proposals should
await decision on the NOR" fuTdI mental
need or tho Whcrlinc schools. namely
that Of reorganization Of Ia" scheme of
admin iStrH:lnn.
Nevertheless. one Of m, Serious weak
ncsScS in IN" school situation has been
n" lack "f a ""mr""I'nH'N' an! f"r,
ward locking building program. guido!
hy expert knowledge 90 III" ""uU:rfm"u;S
of A modern school SYSTEM. Even with
a reorganizcd school hoard. therefore.
the school buildings and equipment VIII
ned to y" modified N order IN mako
possible al ot tho improvements SuE-
g"st"d in this report.
Notifications in Tho school building
situation must necessarily ~" Mad"
gradually and only after careful study
Whecling's School Buildings DO Not
Measure Up TO Modern Requirements.
WherlinG's school plant is rot MODERN
With tho exception Of Madison and
Union. there has been. no now elementary
school FOR q years. Five q n" Mn"
wears ago. one was built -. ard an
other So years ago. The buildings are
old and archaic ~ constructive: N Il
number of them IN" sanitation IS bad;
and In others the lighting * so made
Uuat" that IN some states IN" children
would be Forbidden by law :" cnt"r th"M.
With f"w exceptions. the buildings arc
utterly lacking in modern "5Iichii"nAi
facilities. such rs aud'tor!umS ENmna-
Sums, shops and lah0ca'or drawing
and music rooms. Libraries and play
Schools Must Recognize Changing Com
munity Conditions.
But the city not only fans 70 eIuc3ie
children III the right direction: il cdu-
Gates them in the wrong direction: '"r
,hr street. with It's dangers Ia tin. ph%Si-
cal and moral life of children. too often
becomes their only playground, ana
health and strength and wholesome liN-
int, hut rrccoc.Uus education in al the
yiCinus side Of Il city's lt".
For these reasons 4 has como I" j"
recognized that the city school mast
not only provide class rooms: nut II must
nifty for the healthful work AMI play
which the home can no longer supply.
This means that school buildings must
contain not only class rooms. hut
auditoriums. GymAasium$. hh"ra'n;iSS'
drawing and music rooms. shops. libra
yics and nlayCroundS whore these aCtiN!-
ties may hr carried on.
AZ has been uointrd out. Wheeling; has
not developed school buildings Of this
trne In all the nine white elementary
schools there arc only two auditoriums.
three shops. four cooking rooms and on"
sewing room In other words, there are
only eight special activity rooms for
4,233 children. ,,,.
crnm is 70 recognize existing buildings
and pIan new buildings so that the chill
drrn in each building may have not only
class rooms. but modern educational
facilities.
length goes into tho conditions Of va-i-
aus school buildings II Wheeling. and
-scon,mcnds the abandoning Of six old
buildings. the putting up OF three new
buildings and putting modern GUN
mcnt ~ tho three cX'SiinE h"iidimE%.
dnnrd ultimately are RItchtr Mckinney
,.Iay Jefferson. Center and Lincoln
Wheeling has t." many small build
inrs The older and smaller The build
,nrs. the more cXprnsiV" they become
FOR instance. the per capita cost Of IN"
R;trhir school. with M enrolment o!
5IO ruriis, il tH9.lW. whereas the Ter
carita CO.; Of Madison. with 300 pupils
is only $685.. y summary of r"c"m-
mrutations for each school district TO-
i'"' Richie District.
Ritchic and Mckinley schools should
ho,h be ahandnncd as th"v are old, un-
sanitary buildings and archaic III con-
structIon Erect in tins district y rev
which would house III" children in both
H;tchir and mckinley. Under the
work study play plan It would need l.
class rooms. two shops for boys. i do
nestle scicnc" and sowing room for
girls. one drawing room. on" music
rnorl. one mechanical drawing room.
one library. one chemistry laboratory
and one physics laboratory. The total
rrst would lie SiG2 0mU. Under The trt-
d,tional plan Of school organization II
yyni,ld Ne $f5gVou. This school should
be A combination elementary and Junior
high school The high school ii 30 far
away and extensive to reach that the
children are not likely to 20 to it from
this district unless their interest -
aroused through this preliminary work
The way TO increase tn" enrolment IN
the high school is 10y developing mod
rrn elementary schools.
Clay District
Clay and Jefferson schools should be
abandoned. rs Clay IS an old. unSanI-
tnry building and Jefferson is too small