Evening star., 1936-01-05
Grant Schools Name Changed
In Ans,uer to Public Demand
Building First Called" "Analostan'' Later
H0nored Famous General, Intimately
Connected With Its Section of .TOiUn.

Orville e. Babcock, secretary of Gen,
Grant. At 2022 @ street was the
home of Gen William Worth Belknap,
Secretary of War under Grant as
President Of the United States. All
about the school were the homes of
admirals and generals who hed served
upder Grant and whose idol he had
been. This school was not going to
remain being called Analostan while
the residents Of this neighborhood
were taxpayers Of the District Of Co.
lumbia. En- masse and by petition
they demanded that the schools name
be changed to Grant. The School
Board in the interests of civic har.
mony with as much alacrity as was
consistent with dignity reversed it
self and conceded with the desired
substitution in nomenclature.
Then new derricks were swung and
workmen set about prying the letters
of the offending name from the sur
face of the new school building. diff
hcult job in itself. since no funds had
been allocated to spend on resurfacing
any damage done by pulling out
brick or two in Kidding the buildings
front Of its first appellation. Below
the larger spacing on the buildings
exterior, which had once displayed the
name "Analostan" the letters Grant"
School which you behold today were
put into place. Stand across the street
on a sunny afternoon and you can
still see the faint tracery Of the
original name and the blunted spikes
of the iron pins which held the first
lettering In place.
The schools first principal and
eighth grade teacher was Stephen M.
Ryder, who forsook teaching for busi-
ness, in which he became such sue
cess as the result of his business
ability and inventive skill that he is
now a very prosperous citizen. Only
recently he returned to pay the old
school and its environs visit.
Records Carefully Preserved.
Records and record books at the
Grant School have been carefully pre-
served. AS I looked over their precise
entries just a few days ago. I fancied
Principal Ryder's exact accounting
and balanced summaries gave proof
of business turn that was yearning
to express itself beyond the confines
of his school world of the early 80s.
One wonders If his wrath at the
school order that directed him ito
carefully store and suitably allocate
! two barrels Of dry mud to be used for
| clay modelling" in the various class
rooms under his dominion did not
have something to do with hurrying
his decision.
| Here are the names OF other teachers
who once presided over Grant class
rooms: Miss Clara Wilson, Miss Sara
j. Oliphant, Miss Zulu Walker, Miss
| Hannah Brecht. Miss Mary E. Mallon,
| Miss L. Lufrio and Miss Helen Stock
bridge. SO neatly are the reports kept
one almost sighs for the flowing,
sometimes shaded Spencerian penman-
ship of yesterday. Grades are fire.
quently referred to as mixed" mean
ing. we take it, that both boys and
girls attended the same classes. a
practice still so unusual as to call for
emphasis, particularly as we find a
listing of boys on the left side Of q
monthly record sheet. with girls on
t the opposite right. In columns parallel
with attendance and tardy records for
the month we found such designations
as Standing in Studies" Violations
! farr1 avIrr ~ q
the pages Of the first and second
grade Record Book classes, a name
here and there would seem suggestive.
Here is a partial list: Sadie Ritten-
! hnllse A Dorsey. M. Linkins, N.