Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-04

equipped with two kinds of furniture
| (old-style seats which originally as
| signed contrasting with the newer type,
several pieces of which have been put
in to accommodate the increased en-
| rollment).
Regulation Class Rooms.
These rooms are regulation class
rooms of the kind found in any of the
| older school buildings; they lack the
special windows which would admit
abundant air, and at least two Of them
| are so located on the east side OF the
building that they are Swallowed during
part of the day by an apartment house
which has been erected within 40 feet
or so of the school. These accommo-
date classes as follows: Third and
fourth grade in one, kindergarten
through second grade in another and
fifth through the equivalent of second
year high school in the third. One
teacher Is provided for each of these
classes.
The kitchen and lunch room are not
separated, but are housed in a single
former class room. A picture of This
room is best imagined by one who has
not seen it as the reporter for The Star
did, with the knowledge that the room
was designed to accommodate not more
than AZ healthy pupils and that it now
has a gas-f1red cooking range, a dish
washer, dish sterilizer and preparation
tables and dining tables for 101 chill
dren. There is no refrigerator in this
school and. like the health school al
Thirteenth and Allison streets, the saEle
personnel which manned this depart
ment when the rolls were scarcely half
hot &1Nnxr rkf lao
meals for the children.
Improvise Wash Rooms.
Two small combination toilet and
wash rooms have been installed on the
stairway landings between floors for
the pupils, but old-type toilet facilities
were used. The regular toilet rooms in
the basement are bad in equipment,
location and design even for healthy
pupils. The rooms are badly lighted,
have virtually no ventilation and lack
them, of course, is old. The old sweep
ing brush method of cleaning is used,
with the usual unavoidable dust rails
ing. A carpenter shop which is used
one hour a week is located in a base
ment room. Despite the general I'M
suitableneSS Of the building and the
lack of special cleaning equipment
which is provided the janitor, this
school Is extremely clean. The heating
plant is thoroughly adequate.
Used to Instruct Adults.
The old Webster School building,
Tenth and H streets, is devoted princi-
pally to the instruction of adults in the
English language and the principles of
the American Government in prepare
ton for their naturalization as Ameri-
can citizens. In connection with this
work there are classes for children and
youths, many of whom cannot speak
English when they are admitted, and
who are being prepared to enter the
regular graded or high schools Of the
city. There Is also an underage kinder
garten and regular kindergarten,
chiefly for children of foreign parents
who are attending the adult school.
The building is old and dingy. For
the number of adults and children who
receive instruction there and the va
riety of the activities, it is lacking in
adequate rooms. For approximately so
children the only playground" is a
narrow, damp, brick-paved space, like
four sides by high brick walls that shut
out the sun completely. When this re-
porter was there, at high noon on a
clear day, not ray of sunshine reached
the damp brick pavement. There was
only a little splotch of reflected sun
light on the south wall 10 feet above
the ground.
There are IS class rooms in the Web
ster. Two are used for the kinder
gartens, which had a total enrolment
of 80 children, under two teachers, on
the day the reporter called He was
informed that this enrolment usually
runs between 40 and As pupils
There is also a coaching class, with
an enrolment of 25 boys and girls
ranging in age from to Is years, who
are learning the English language and
otherwise being prepared to take their
places in the regular graded schools of
the city.
Another class, whose enrolment va
ries from Is to 80 boys and girls rang
ing in age from about IA to II. is be