Milford chronicle., 1926-09-24
GRADED SCHOOLS
FULLY EQUIPPED
FOR ENTIRE STATE
(continaed from nrst DaEeJ

"As the good rOauS nave 4nSA O"SSu'
onnortunities for bettering schoo4
conditions have increased. IL Is my
aim 10 reduce the number OF one
room schools in the state to oh!y
about a half dozen. Graded schools
to which the children will be brought
in school busses is the ldeaI slUu@-
ton for Delaware.
.The biggest problem OF the edu-
cational system in Delaware IS Sc
curing of the same educational op-
nortunities for all children IN the
state regardless of where they may
live BECAUSE a child is born on a
farm is no reason why he should not
he given as good a schooling and as
efficient a teacher as the child Dorn
in towns"
Marked improvement
DIR. Holloway explained that, de-
snite the shortcomings which even Il
cnrsory inspection Of the schools
discloses, it must not be thought that
no progress has been made IN the
last few years. He quoted from Ay-
er's Index, a school statistical mag
azine. to show that since 1918, there
has been in Delaware an improve
ment of over SO per cent IN the way
of attendance, scholastic stanulnSs'
and teachers salaries.
Remarkable progress mas also
been made in the way of betterlng
the physical conditions Oh the
schools" added DR.. Holloway
.'Pierre S. du Pont has spent about
81 900 900 of his private funds to I'M
nrove the schools and in addition
about 100000 has been spent by the
citizens in various communities
while the legislature has approprlat-
ed for new buildings about $4,000 to
meet serious emergencies"
This problem of one-room schools
was found to be a most puzzllnS
question. Particularly in Sussex,
where there are a large number OF
schools. the attendance is at the
present time poor. The boys, 1t was
found. are compelled TO work on the
farms and they then come to school
in October. 1t was considered an
economical loss to operate a school
with an attendance Of Cnly about SIX
pupils. ,. aa
Sentiment and tradition, 1t was
discovered, will be the CHIEF oostac-
les to the doing away with the one
room schools and the establishment
of graded schools equipped with mo-
tor busses for transporting children
In such communities where the
hoard has threatened to close the
schools. the board found the building
has been recently painted and Is
we'll kept.
Conditions III Sussex
In Sussex county, toured Friday
the board found the schools, the ma
iority being One-room buildings, ID
fairly good condition, needing how
ever, modern seats and minor i'm
provements. These schools are stu
ated, as DR.. Holloway said, four
miles from nowhere, along sandy
roads, in the heart of the corn and
apple district.
The board was proceeding on
schedule despite the poor roads until
late in the afternoon. The members
had left Millsboro in one automobile
with Mr.. Williams driving. From
Houston they left for Centenary
school, never visited before by DR..
Holloway, but it was fully twenty
minutes before the school was found.
At a cross roads called Hickory Hill,
the board was given information by
a farm tot who could hardly speak,
no one else being in sight.
The board rode and rode over
bumpy and ankle deep sandy lanes
until it came back to cross roads,
having gone in a circle. At first 1t
was thought they were lost, but fin
ally Centenary school was found
nesting in a patch of woodland
where the teacher, a young man, was
painting the exterior of the building.
The care teachers take for the
schools was found in other sections.
! At Yellow Hill school, Sussex cOun-
ty, the teacher, Miss Laura w.
Sharp, has painted the interior of
her school, painted the desks, enam-
eled the stove and is now preparing
to paint the exterior of the building.
Miss Sharp, incidentally, represented
Delaware's Parent-Teacher's Asso-
citation at the last national conven-
ton in Atlanta.
Bad At MillSbOrO
Of all the schools in the county,
the worst was at Millsboro. The
building is more than half century
old and is sorely in need Of paint.
Each room is heated by either a
coal or wood stove. The board found
stove pipes traversing the entire
length of the rooms and so low that
tall boys are compelled to stoop
when going across the room.
In many rooms the wall paper is
hanging from the ceiling, desks are
battered, and the lighting very poor.
To approach the school from the
street, one must go by way of a
board walk, built to keep the stu
dents from walking in a sea Of mud
on rainy days.
The guiding spirit Of the COM
munity is Mr.. Williams, president of
the State School Board. Impressed
with the needs of his community, he
has built a building for more than
$500 to house some of the children.
In another part of the town the loft
of a grocery store has been convert
ed into two class rooms for the pri-
mary grades. The light is bad in
these rooms, particularly on cloudy
days, but artificial light has not even
been provided for.
Fine At LeWes
Tho finest coboO1 in fbp county