Evening star., 1935-03-28
DENN|SON SCHOOL
REPLACING ASKED
Board of Education Seeks
$780, 900 Request From
p. w. A. Funds.

One of the greatest needs of the
public school system, according to
school oficials, is the replacement Of
the present Dennison Vocational
School, on S street between Thir-
teenth and Fourteenth streets.
To meet the urgent situation there
the Board of Education has included
a request for $3.50, 900 in the list of
projects for which the Public Works
Administration funds have been asked.
Although all Of the requests for new
elementary and high schools, and for
additions and expansion are regarded
as imperative needs to meet an in
creasingly bad situation, the Den
nison schools replacement is placed
near the top Of the list.
235 Girls Enrolled.
The present school is housed in an
outmoded, antiquated grammar school
building, taken over when the voca-
tional schools were established. At
present the school has an enrolment
of 235 girls, all of whom are preparing
for entry into the business world.
hopeful Of being equipped with a vo-
cation that will permit them to be
sef-supporting.
There is not a question of over
crowding in the building, but the
physical condition of the plant has
been described as both deplorable and
disgraceful.
Perhaps the worst feature of the
Dennison School is its location. In
the main 1t Is in a business area, al
most surrounded by garages and re-
pair shops. The resident population
Is predominantly colored, although
the schools enrolment is exclusively
composed Of white girls.
The courses of study offered cover
q wide range, including all of the
home making arts, cleaning and dye
ing. practical cookery and sewing,
millinery, interior decorating. cafe
terra management and other similar
studies.
Classed as Elementary.
The school is classed with the ele-
mentary schools, although much of
the work done is of Junior high school
rank. The teachers, however, are In
the same salary brackets as teachers
in the graded schools. A bill is pend
ing in Congress to give the vocational
schools q rating equal to that Of the
Junior high schools. About half the
pupils time Is devoted to academic
work.
If the p. w. A. approves the $780,
900 allotment it is the hope Of the
Board of Education to have the new
school erected on site of the pres
ent District tuberculosis Hospital,
opposite Roosevelt High School.
It's specific location will be at the
intersection Of Arkansas avenue and
Allison street. The whole site there
eventually Is planned as huge white
school center, similar tc that planned
for the colored schools at Bladens-
burg road and Twenty-fourth street
northeast.
Included In Center.
When completed the center will
include the present Roosevelt High
School, the Wilson Teachers Col
lege, the Dennison School and q
grammar school to be used as a
laboratory for training the novice
teachers enrolled at the teachers
college.
The present Dennison School, be-
cause Of its condition, will be razed.
Dr.. Frank w. Ballou, superintendent,
said the site then probably will be
enlarged and turned over to the col
ored divisions for the erection Of
new colored elementary school to re-
lieve some Of the congestion In neigh
boring schools. Colored schools In
that vicinity are the worst over
crowded II tha slDirs city system.