Evening star., 1924-11-17
SCHOOLS OBSERVE
CONSTITUTION DAY
Pupils Take Up Special Pro-
grams in Series of Educa-
tion Week Topics.

With special programs based on
the Constitution of the United States,
pupils of the District public schools
today Joined in the national obServ-
ance of American Education week.
Today had been designated as Con
stitution day"
The outstanding feature of the
observance of Education week in
Washington will be the formal ded-
ication of two public schools-the
Jefferson Junior High School and the
Bancroft School Dedication eXer-
cises will be held at the jefferson
Thursday afternoon at o'clock and
at the Bancroft the following after
noon at the same time.
Feature of "COnstitution Day,
day program. a committee, COM
posed of DR.. Elmer S. Newton, princi-
pal of Western High School; George
j. Jones, head ofs the history depart-
ment of the high schools, and Miss
Otela Cromwell, issued a statement
describing how the Constitution is
taught in the Washington schools.
Not many years ago the study of
clVics in the high schools of this
NpllSISltu merely OF a formal
study of the Constitutions" said the
statement. The Constitution was
studied in detail, clause after clause,
often with little understanding eth
er by teachers or students
In Washington at the present
time the courses of study provide
not only for the formal study of the
Constitution, itself. but also for a
careful study of its application and
its interpretation.
Work of Last Year Cited.
Last year hundreds of students in
Washington prepared excellent ora
tions on the Constitution. They were
able to do this because they had the
ability to interpret the Constitution.
This understanding of the Constitu-
ton was gained in the classrooms.
1T will be remembered that a
Washington high school student was
awarded second place in the Nation
wide oratorical contest in which more
than a million high school students
competed. Those who were fortu-
nate enough to hear the orations
We're amazed to find that boys and
girls of high school age could handle
constitutional questions with such
intelligence and thorough under
standing.
American History as Topic.
American history is taken up in
the second semester of the seventh
grade in the junior high schools. In
that grade the pupils study the his
tory of this country through the
period of the War of 1872. Teachers
in the seventh grade are instructed
to devote four weeks to a formal
study of the Constitution at the time
in the course Immediately follow
ing the study of the Constitutional
Convention of 1887.
The eighth grade junior high
school American history course be-
gins with a review of the period
from 1871 to the close Of the War of
1872. In this review teachers are
instructed to give four more weeks
to careful study of the Constitu-
tion itself. The eighth grade course
brings the study of our history up
to date, the last semester of the
eighth grade being given over to the
study of the problems of this coun-
try since the close of the Civil War.
Course I'm Social Science.
1.-TWO courses in social science are
open to students in junior high
schools entering the ninth grade.
First, course in civics is offered to
those students who do not plan to
continue school work after gradu-
ating from the junior high school.
Second, a regular history course is
offered to students who plan to con-
tinue into the senior high schools.
The civic course offered in the ninth
grade of the junior high schools con-
sists of the study of the Constitution
and also the study Of the problems
of this country, local and national,
Advanced American history is
taught in the third year in the senior
high schools. 1t is required of all
students who are candidates for
diplomas In this course a careful
study Is made of the steps toward
union, the constitutional convention
and it's ratification. Teachers in
American history classes are instruct
ed not to take up the study of Wash
fngton's administrations until the
students in their classes have been
well grounded" in the study of the
Constitution. Without doubt a sup
Elementary text to aid teachers of
American history in teaching the Con-
stitution will be in use next year.
Now Third-Year Subject.
American history was formerly a
senior subject 1t is at present a
third-year subject. This change was
made partly to prepare students for
the advanced course in civics offered
in the senior year. The basis for
this course is the Constitution.
'It will not be many years before
seniors generally in all the high
schools will elect this course. 1t is
the elimination of the sociaI science
courses in the high schools, and Is a
most excellent preparation for citizen
ship.
"It is an aim of the teachers
throughout all this work to inspire in
the students reverence for the Con-
stitution, together with love and re-
spect for their government"
In connection with the observance
of Constitution day." Superintendent
of Schools Frank w. Ballou issued a
statement pointing out that more
than 1000 pupils in the Americaniza-
ton schools studied civics during the
last scholastic year. Many of them
having been in the United States too
short a time to acquire citizenship" he
said will show their fitness when the