Evening star., 1941-02-28
Prince Georges
Report Urges
a New Schools
Conversion of Many
Buildings to New
Uses Also Favored

WV #htSS 1FSbS0
Construction Of four new high
schools in Prince Georges County,
Md, and conversion of many build
ings to new uses were proposed to-
day in report by experts of the
county school system, the college
of education at the University of
Maryland and the State Department
Of Education.
Representatives of these bodies,
members of survey committee ap-
pointed after County Supt. Of
Schools Nicholas Orem requested a
reorganization study last Novem-
Der, revealed their recommendations
in panel discussion before a
County Federation of Women's
Clubs meeting at the University of
Maryland.
The drastic reorganization is based
on the idea that the school system
should have six years of primary
education, three years of junior
high school and three years of high
school-adding one year to the Sec
ondary school system which now
lacks Junior high school.
New Schools Recommended.
The new schools recommended
are:
l. Northern Jur1ior-Senior High
School in or near University Park
on University drive about one-half
mile south of Baltimore Boulevard,
for about l,2OO senior and 300 junior
high pupils. Corollaries of this pro-
posal would be conversion of the
present Hyattsville High School
Building into a junior high to ac-
commodate 575 pupils; conversion of
Mount Rainier High School into a
junior high for 300 pupils; CONVEX
sion of Greenbelt High School into
junior high for $50 pupils.
2. Defense Highway Senior High
School on Defense highway near
Landover road, constructed so the
first unit could house 500 students.
With arrangements for new wings
later. This would mean conversion
OF Bladensburg High School into a
Junior high for 500 pupils and
abandonment of Bowie High School
for secondary school purposes. The
overcrcwded Bowie High should be
devoted entirely to elementary
school use, the report said.
A Western High Proposed.
3. Western High School, in Dis
trlct Heights, about / mile east Of
the District line on or near Ala
bams avenue marlboro boulevard),
The school would house about 1000
pupils and permit addition of
another unit as soon as needed.
This move would be ACCOMPANIED
by conversion of Maryland Park,
Oxon Hill and Surrattsville High
Schools into Junior highs. The last
two now bring most of their stu
dents to the buildings by bus, the
report said. At Oxon Hill the
proportion reaches 90 per cent, it
was reported, and both schools are
overcrowded.
4. Southern Junior-Senior High
School to be built on Grain high
way between T. B. and Chelten-
ham about l mile north of Brandy
wine to accommodate 400 pupils,
half in each division. Inherent in
this proposal is abandonment of
the Brandywine and Baden Schools
for secondary education purposes.
Two other sweeping changes would
be transformation of the Marlboro
and Laurel High Schools into Junior
highs.
Five-Year Plan.
The committee which formulated
and today discussed these recon-
mendations is headed by DR.. Arnold
E. loyal, professor of education at
the University of Maryland. He
| said that the proposals-designed
as a f1ve-year plan-have the ap-
proval of School Supt. Orem. who,
he said, sat in at the time the com.
| mlttee unanimously adopted them.
County representative on the COM
mlttee was Assistant School Supt.
G. Gardner Shugart. Representing
the Maryland Department of Edu-
cation were Earl T. Hawkins, SUI
perintendent of high schools for
the area, and T. G. Pullen, jr.
Representing the university were
DR.. Henry BrechbN, whose wife pre-
sided at to6ays session as county
chairman of education for the Fed
Grafton of Women's Clubs: DR.. Har-
old c. Hand; DR. Harold Benjamin,
dean of the college of education:
Profs. Glenn Brown, GWendolvn
Drew, Ralph Gallington, Edna Nc
Naughton, Edgar F. Long, Charles
l.. Mackert, John U. Michaelis and
Gladys Wiggin.
Dr.. loyal said that the commit
tee purposely declined to estimate
the cost of this reorganization and
building program thinking this the
business of the County Board of
Education. He emphasized that
this was not a program for which
the committee should be held solely
! responsible. He said it was merely
the judgment of experts given after
long study without pay and on top
of regular work at the request Of
! the county
Each proposal was backed with
long argument as TO its necessity
and indicated areas from which
schools would draw pupils.
A later report will deal with re-
organization of the course of study,
considering the suggestion of Mr..
Orem that emphasis be shifted frcm
academic to vocational studies.