Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1923-02-23
NEW HIGH SCHOOL I.
BUILDLNGILS URGED;
SCHOOLS CROWDED
Chester A. Gwinn La
ments Inadequacy of
School Facilities
BEHIND IN WORK
Jefferson School Building
to be Opened to Visit
ors Sunday Afternoon
2 to 6 O'clock

The school facilities OF AleXan-
dria are far from being adequate
even with the installation and
occupation of Jefferson school,
new 16-room unit, according t.
Chester A. Gwinn, chairman of
the city school board, who is now
urging the construction of a new
high school building in place OF
the one now in use, which, he
says, will shortly be too small
for the ever-increasin@ student
body of that institution, and the
use of the present high school
building for grade work, once its
students are housed in the pro
posed new building.
He points out that the City Of
Alexandria is running about five
years behind the logical program
in school building construction
and urges that an effort - made
to regain the lost ground.
Alexandria, he says, has a
school population of nearly g.
900 and capacity to take care
of but few more than 1000. In
addition, there is compulsory
school law, which, if inIorced
would bring great embarrassment
to the city due to this lack o.
facilities.
The Jefferson public school, just
completed, which was opened for
the students last Monday, will be
opened for the inspection of the
public Sunday afternoon from 2
until 6 o'clock. The new school
building is known as sixteen
room unit with two offices. 1t is
built of brick and concrete and
is absolutely freproof.
Wood is laid over the concrete
flooring of the structure through
out. The building is lighted with
electric lights and heated with
the latest approved automatic
heating and ventilating system.
1t is scientifically lighted, the
arrangement being to have the
light thrown on the left.
Generally speaking the school
is considered a most modern and
structure, arranged for
and economy of opera
ton. 1t cost about $4,000.
Mr.. Gwinn, chairman of the
city school in statement calls
the attention of the school boq.d
to the fact that even with the
OF this school the
school facilities are still made
quate. 0vercrowding in the high
school he says, is still a serious
problem and with the marked in
crease in attendance reasonably
to be expected within the next
year or so the high school build
ing will be woefully inadequate to
meet the needs of the city. He
directs attention to the fact that
furthermore the city has not
made any provision for the nor
NAL increase from year to year
in the grammar grades, nor for
the sudden normal increase that
will surely occur if the compul-
sorry attendance law is rigdly en-
forced.
In speaking of the proposal,
Mr.. Gwinn says:
"Of course, | recognize that th
erection of a high school building
at this time-a larger and more
costly building than any of our
present school buildings, would
involve quite a financial problem,
but sincerely hope that way
may be found and that a new
high school buildings the need of
which is already keenly fclt, will
be erected before our present
building becomes so grossly made
quate as seriously to interfere
with the education Of the youth
of our city,"