Evening star., 1938-12-19
Recreation Clubs Give Girls
Long-DeIoyed Break
Activities Ronee From Ping Pong to
Lessons on How to Acquire Charm

A crowd Of chattering schoolgirls,
some of them with gym suits under
their coats, others clutching crochet
needles, was lined up in double file
before a side door of Anacostia
Junior-Senior High Schol the other
night.
The wind was brisk and the door
was not to open for another half
hour, but already long line had
gathered.
One of the girls explained, I'VE
like to come early"
Hardly had the doors opened,
when the girls were up the steps to
the gym, shedding their coats as
they assembled.
Some of them gathered around a
leader, displaying the crochet needles
they had taken with them for the
sewing class. Others put tumbling
mats into place and were of in a
cloud Of handsprings. A few tossed
basketball around and a game de-
veloped.
Variations of that scene are re-
peated nightly at any of five schools
throughout the city. One night each
week, the girls of each section Of
Washington foregather for an hour
or two to dance, play games. sew
or weave, design costumes or sing,
or do whatever comes into their
heads. There's nothing formal
about it.
Five Clubs Organized.
For years the boys clubs have been
thought an essential part of the de-
velopment of the citys future citi-
zens," but little thought had been
given to feminine future citizens"
until this fall, when the Community
Center Department. equipped with
what funds 1t could scape from its
boys club appropriation, organized
five clubs for girls in white schools.
At the same time, a program for
colored girls, which had been grow
ing for three years. was expanded
under the supervision of Mrs. Anna
G. Carroll, general secretary of
divisions 1913.
In the white schools there are
clubs at Woodrow Wilson High
School, Anacostia Junior-Senior
High School and at Langley, Jeffer-
son and Powell Junior Highs. There
also is a mixed group for elementary
school children at Thomson School.
Clubs for colored girls are at Car
dozo High School, Burrville, Dean
wood and Monroe Elementary
Schools and at Randall Junior High
School,
Working along the lines of physical
and cultural activities, the actual
program in each school varies with
the personalities and the economic
level of the members as we'll as with
the equipment of the school.
For instance. at Langley, which
has several club members who take
music lessons but have no pianos
at home on which to practice, the
d1scords of piano practicing are
combined with the shouts of the girls
as they play basket ball.
Ping Pong and Checkers.
At Jefferson, where room for activ-
tiles is scarce, the girls content
themselves with ping pong and
checkers. They concentrate on art
work and make up games for them
selves.
Ages make difference in pro-
gram, too. At Anacostia, girls range
from elementary grades through
high school, while at Langley and
Jefferson the girls are all of junior
high school age.
All the girls are agreed on one
thing. The more strenuous the ex-
ercise, the more they like it. The
older girls, of course, like social
dancing-done on the spur OF the
moment when one Of them strays
over to the piano.
Occasionally the girls get together
with members of the boys clubs
for dances. At Jefferson, there's
dance every Friday night, where the
youngsters find the same advantages
| Of public dance hall while their
parents can rest assured that the
children are in a place they can
approve Of. Music was a problem
at Jefferson until the boys Of the
neighborhood formed an orchestra.
In the spring, style show is being
planned for the girls, with demon
strations of coif1eurs included. Lead
ing up to the show, there will be
discussions of personality, fashions
and how to select clothes. The
leaders also are expecting to stage
game tournaments between the clubs.
French Class Formed.
One Of the most novel Of the girls
club activities is a French class in
divisions 1913. The class began
when Miss Marion Bowden, who had
taken her masters degree in French
at Howard University, suggested that
pre-school youngsters could absorb
foreign language more naturally
and remember it longer than when
they grew older. The group of
toddlers she started with three
months ago can now sing, count and
even pray In French. All the dis
cussion is limited to the foreign
language and the youngstersn chatter