Seward daily gateway., 1925-09-14
ENROLMENT IN ALASKA SCHOOLS
 SHOW INCREASE
COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION, ALASKA SCHOOLS, TALKS ON SEWARD SCHOOL PROBLEM.
Seward Needs New Building
"No Town Can Progress Faster Than It's School system," Says L. D. Henderson.

T have theory that a town can not progress any faster than it's school system" stated Lester D. Hen derson, commissioner of education in Alaska, during his brief visit in Seward Saturday, while en route to Nome and other Alaska points where Territorial schools are located. Tt would mean a big thing for Seward to secure an adequate school build ing. This would be real financial asset to the community and the To- cal business men should appreciate this fact"
 Tt is not good to see so many Al askan children leaving, many from Seward and the adjacent vicinity, for schooling in the States. And in a way, one cannot blame their par ents for the Seward school is not an accredited school, but could be easily made 50 with the addition of one more teacher to the high school faculty, which would make four: the enrolment of 20 pupils in the high school, proper building with an adequate library and science lab oratory.
 Would Increase Number Pupils
 If Seward had a good nigh school building, there would De n1 question of it being an accredited school for many of inc children, al! students from the surrounding dl5 :, :ls, ty.uld enroll Ire. Tho grade s2ns, in Seward $ large enougn a. present and new that arrangemeu have been made for one teacher to han dle two grades, splendid results should be forthcoming. However, new building, equipped with a gym nasium, would be a fine thing as it would tend to increase the physical education of the children wonder fully.
 On Tour of Inspection.
 The present trip of MT. Tender son is one on inspection of all the Territorial public schools in this and the Interior districts. He left Sew ard for Anchorage yesterday. con templating departing for the Matan- uska school this morning, and this afternoon catching the regular h. terlor train for Nenana, where he ex- poets to make connections with a river steamer for Panama, Ruby. Fortuna Ledge (MarshaD and St, Michael, thence across to Nome. His itinerary included leaving Nome on the steamer Victoria for Seattle. via Seward if possible If he misses the Victoria he will come south On the Alameda, the last boat south out of Nome this year. He anticipates re- turning to Seward, providing one of these vessels stop here, for the pur- pose of making longer visit, study ing the local situation.
 Enrolment on the Increase.
 me 1errltOry of Alaska is a large country to cover, MT. Henderson stated, and he finds it rather diff cult at times to pay certain localities the visits he would like to. There are 78 schools in the Territory, he said, and for the first time in Alaska school history, the enrolment of scholars last year went over the A. 900 mark. Indications point that this years enrolment will exceed that number by many. The high school enrolment of the Territory for last year also showed an increase, totaling 527 students, an increase of at least ten per cent over the year previous. The high school enroll ment is growing faster than any oth- CT department, which is certainly a most encouraging sign, Mir. Tender