The Meeker herald., 1922-08-12


OF THE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
DEPARTMENT OF RIO BLAN.
co COUNTY
County High School Committee.
Rio Blanco County. Colorado.
In compliance with your request for
= written report and supplementins
recommendations made to your Com.
mittee upon occasion Of my inspection
of your high school system respect
fully submit the findings and conclu-
sions ~ embodied hereinafter for
your confederation.
The present enrolment Of high
school pupils numbers eighty SIX being
about fifteen per cent increase In num-
her over last years enrolment. a
conservative estimate OF the number Of
pupils entering high school in septem-
her. Nineteen twenty-five Is placed at
one hundred allowing only for the nor
NAL rate Of increase. BY September.
Nineteen twenty-three. the earliest
probable date when adequate housing
relief might be available the high
school enrolment will number about
one hundred and twenty pupils. To
meet this situation and the attendant
housing requirements IL the problem
confronting the County High School
Committee.
When the old high school building
was vacated two years ago. being pro-
nounccd unsafe for occupancy. tenn
porary arrangements were made by the
High School Committee for housing
the high school pupils In the grade
school building. the number OF pupils
affected by this transfer was probably
nifty. As the arrangement was consId-
cred but temporary and since the grnds
school building did not afford adequate
facilities for instruction In the high
school courses several Of the depar'.
nents considered as fundamental In
high school instruction were imposs,.
bic Of Development and no instruction
nor equipment provided therefor. Con
gcstitn prevailed In the grade school
when this move was made and now
With the increase In enrolment Of
hiGl, school pupils. probably nl,icty
before the year Is completed, the con.
gestion has become 10 acute III The lin.
tied spaces available that adequate
inatruction In the few courses main
fotned In rapidly becoming inposeiblc.
Die to this present temporary arran.
cement no attempt has been made nor
is IL possible to provide n full course
OF departmental instruction sucl. MS
lie row considered fundamental in the
cuIrIcula Of the modern high school.
The situation consequently Is that
instruction in the following important
departments is wholly lacking and I'm.
possible under the present ARRANGE.
ment: Manual Training; Farm Mech
anies; Mechanical Drawing; Soils and
Agricultural Laboratory Commercial
Science and Domestic Arts. The re.
rthning departments now operating,
largely academic, are so conses,ed TINT
relief must also be offered them
There IL a total lack Of facilities for
athletic and physical development M
a Gymnasium would provide 10. and
which In now recognized ms a neccs-
sify In ali modern high schools.
It Is therefore obvious that those
departments of instruction which have
proved to he of the most interest and
assistance in vocational guidance to
the student are not available under
present conditions and these can only
~ had by providing adequate housing
facilities for all of the departments OF
the high school.
With this end In view an inspection
va made of the unoccupied building
to ASCERTAIN what relief 1t might AFFORD
ifplaced in disable condition. 1t was
found a. result of this investigation
TIT this building could be made safe
and usable at an expense that would
Justify the advantages to DO derived
thsrefrom. The arrangement of thi,
haiding ia admirably suited for the
hcusins Of certain departments of the
high school system and after carefully
csaddering all factors entering into
ths situation. not only concerning hig,
seaeol pupils but grade school pupils nj
VA, II u recommended that this
building win best serve the education,
q requirements BY housing the follow
iss departments: Manual Training
Farm Mechanics, Mechanical Drawing
Boiis and Agricultural Laboratory aud