Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1922-06-15
THE SCHOOL QUESTION.

Published by request of the Board of
Education.
We need new high school building
IN E..ieral Point if we wish to remain
in the front ranks as progressive city
that is attentive to the needs of it's
children. The question is often asked,
What is boy or girl worth I" No
father or mother will part with their
child for any consideration in money.
Government authorities have estimated
that it costs parents and the community
not less than $4,000 To- rear a child TO
maturity and educate him. The biggest
investment we have is in our children.
In them too our city finds its greatest
asset, for our boys and girls will soon
be producing wealth and will be carry
ing on the work that we are doing.
Our old fourth ward building was adj
equate TO meet the educational needs Of
the pa 81. bat tomorrow our boys and
girls must be fitted with bodies that are
strong physically, minds that are keenly
trained and souls that are fred with
ambition to carry on" to greater
heights. For the sake of our children
we need q building that will adequately
meet the educational needs Of tonor-
row.
Our high school building il now used
for both grade and high school purposes.
When it was designed, it was intended
to house large share of the grades. II
was soon apparent that the building
was not large enough to do this. With
the growth of the high school II was
necessary to equip three rooms in the
basement as classrooms for work in
manual training and domestic science
In the original plans of the building,
these rooms were TO be used as shop
for the janitor and storerooms. All the
high school classrooms are crowded as
the building was designed for much
smaller enrolment.
The classro0ms on the first floor are
all standard sized grade cassrooms and
are used mainly for that purpose. The
second floor, which is now devoted ex-
clusively to high school work, can with
little expense be converted into model
grade classrooms. Three OF the rooms
are now standard sized grade rooms
and the others can be made into regula-
ton sized rooms by removing a parti-
ton and building one in the assembly
room. The building can be made into
a model grade building to which we can
point with just pride. The building
cannot be converted into modern high
school building because in the original
plans provision was made for an enroll
ment Of $50 instead Of 220 the number
we had in our high school the past year.
Then too no provision was made for in
struction in manual training, domestic
science, commercial work or chemistry.
We are now doing good work in these
departments but cannot offer the type
Of instruction that our boys and girls
could get if we were properly equipped
to give it.
The board Of education is to be com
mended on the open frankness with
which they are proceeding to get ade-
quate facilities for the instruction Of
our children. They have designated
June 9th as the date for big mass
meeting, when everyone win be given
an opportunity TO offer suggestions.
The whole problem is our problem and
we should not leave it to the board Of
education, the council or a citizens COM
mittee We should plan now to attend
the mass meeting and do our share to
: provide facilities for the best education
that we possibly can for our boys and
girls. There are none finer in existance.