Evening star., 1936-10-18
Miss Sisson, Teacher 43 Years,
Is Honored by Former Pupils
Ciuic and School Officials Also Join II,
Tribute to Educator in Ceremony
in Langd0n Auditorium.

auditorium.
neighborhood in which she was to
become the first teaching principal as
well as the first administrative prtn-
cipal Of the up-to-date l6-unit school
structure at Twentieth and Evarts
streets northeast, which Is on the
original site of a four-room frame
building that was Miss Sisson's second
school home after the abandonment
of the one at Queens Chapel road.
In tracing the march of school and
neighborhood progress since Miss Sis
sons first teaching days In the vicin-
ity, Selden M. Ely, supervising prtn-
cipal, who as president Of the Sons OF
the American Revolution has done
much valuable research work into
early District history, told Fridays
audience that In the almost 80 years
in which Miss Sisson had seen the
community emerge from a rural one to
thickly populated portion of the
city, six other school buildings had
also become necessary to serve It's
needs. These are the 12-room Brook
land School at Tenth and Monroe
streets, the 16-room Woodbridge at
Carlton and Central avenues. the 2
room Bunker Hill School at Four
teenth street and Michigan avenue,
the Crosby S. Noyes 5-room unit at
Twentieth and Franklin streets, the
19-room John Burroughs School at
Eighteenth and Monroe streets, and
the Taft Junior High School.
Compliments Agencies.
Mr.. Ely also complimented the vari-
Gus agencies that had banded together
in such a splendid spirit Of neighbor-
hood cooperation. telling them that
he knew of no area in the city's juris%
diction where there was a more unani-
nous outpouring Of civic interest to-
ward the consummation Of worthwhile
projects.
I'm honoring Miss Sisson," contin-
ued Mr.. Ely, you honor yourselves,
for thereby you proclaim your con-
tinuing faith in the principles Of
Christian living and upright citizen
ship, which Miss Sisson helped to in
culcate in this community through
life time of service for you and your
children's children"
When Miss Sisson was appointed,
and for many years thereafter, the
United States Governments fruit and
nut tree farm was in the neighbor-
hood. There also were open pastures,
with cattle, horses and sheep graz
ing and thickets Of uncut timber as
well as areas Of farmland and pri-
vately owned orchards.
For transportation to and from the
more densely populated sections Of
the Capital one depended either on
privately owned horse-drawn We
hicles or the nearby Baltimore & Ohio
Railroad. Miss Sisson used the train
service for her daily trips.
One of the "reminiscences Of Miss
| Sisson's early teaching days which
the community most likes to hear her
relate has to do with the advent OF
an unexpected school visitor. One
afternoon there was such deter
mined and forceful humping upon
the schools front door that it not
only shook but sounded as If it were
about to be kicked down If it were
| not speedily opened. Hurrying to the
| door, with considerable Indignation,
Miss Sison found herself admitting
pet pony belonging in the neigh
borhood. Escaped from a nearby pas.
ture, 1t was apparently under the i'm
preston that there had already been
entirely too much delay about his
| rejoining his little master, who was a
pupil.
And" adds Miss Sisson, "we
thought ourselves quite resourceful
when we were able to tether him
outside, after sort Of recess. until
his small owner was free to ride him
home"
What Miss Sisson cannot be per-
suaded to touch on Is the one-woman
agency that she was in the way of
help and relief to her far-fiung con-
stituency as the school population
grew and the first little school house
was abandoned for, first, a four-room
frame building. and later, a 10-unit
frame structure, which eventually
proved to be such a fire menace that
public opinion brought about its re-
moval and the construction Of the
present ideal plant, the Langdon
School.
Guarded Pupils Health.
Always modest and unassuming,
Miss Sisson zealously guarded the
health and character-building needs
Of her pupils long before our present
Community Chest agencies had come
into being. Neither was any effort
too great or the expenditure Of her
time and energy after school hours
taken into consideration If she could
contribute in any way to their edu-
cational, spiritual or physical we'll
being. Before the day of school ply
sicians and nurses in the schools here,
Miss Sisson, so the fathers and moth
ers Of those early pupils proudly tell
you, through her own unremitting
zeal. was often q factor in staying
threatened school epidemics.
Those one-time pupils also relate
how she would trudge miles through
woods and pastures to visit grief
stricken families or those where there
was illness or the discouragement and