Evening star., 1946-12-09
Five Principals |
backE. Y. Brown.
Center for Youth
Dr.. Corning Likewise
Urges Buildings Use
For Library and PIoy

Urges Buildings Use
For Library and Play
The school principals responsible
for the development of the more
than 400 children attending Chevy .
Chase schools were unanimous to-. .
day in supporting the campaign To.
secure the E. v. Brown School as .
public library and recrea.
lion center. 81
The inadequacy Of the present Ii.
brary quarters and the lack OF rec-
reational facilities throughout the
area were cited by the school ofn-
cials as reasons why the proposed
center is needed.
In their Endorsement of the school
project the principals were sup
ported by DR.. Hobart M. Corning.
of schools, who said
The center would provide ''the heav-
ily populated Chevy Chase area with
facilities for worthwhile activities
for both adults and children"
Location Seen Suitable.
'The property is well situated and
the building could easily be con-
verted to the desired purposes" DR..
Corning added. 'It would be an
community development
at time when added recreation
facilities are necessary and when LIE
brary extension Is needed to encour-
age the formation OF good reading
habits on the part of children and
to offer convenient facilities for
adult reading and reference work"
Miss BERTHE Backus, principal Of
Alice Deal Junior High School, em-
phasized that teen-age youngsters
need a wholesome place where they
can get together informally. She
said it was "just impossible" to pro-
vide this at school buildings without
running into heavy costs for keep
ing the buildings open.
Anybody who passes the drug.
stores In this area and sees the
children hanging around would
realize the need for place where
the children could do something
constructive and not fritter away
their time," Miss Backus said.
All Books Not Available.
She added it was "a disgrace" for
the children Of q community like
Chevy Chase to have to 60 down.
town to get all the books they need.
"If reading habits are not estab.
lished in children before they leave
Junior high school. they viii never
have them" she added. IF we had
an adequate library in this area, We
could do much better job of estab-
fishing such habits"
Thomas ]. Holmes, principal Of
Woodrow Wilson High School, en-
phasized that school libraries do not
have all the necessary reference
books, and the students must be
sent to the public library for COLI
lateral reading.
Frequently, he said, the students
must devote several hours to REFER
ence books and the present library
quarters at 3815 Livingston street
NV. are so cramped the young peo-
pie find 1t difncult to concentrate On
their work.
ParochiaI School Head Concurs.
The need for a larger library with
a more complete book collection also
was stressed by Sister Frances Rose,
principal of Blessed Sacrament
School. At present, she said, thcl
teachers have to go downtown tol
the Central Library to order baskets
of books for distribution to the 7o0l
youngsters in the schools.
'Tt would be much more conyen-i
lent and far more educational for
the children" she said, 'if the'
library in this area was large,
enough to take care Of all the chill
dren. It Is much better for the;
children themselves to use library
rather than have the teachers select
books for them" S.,
Miss Viola Offutt, principal Of
Ben Murch School, said she feltI
sorry "for the boys who are chased
from pillar to post" when they are|
simply trying to find some place tol
play.
Present Library Inaccessible.
..If we could furnish some center
where they could co." she said, "we|
would have more Justification for
not letting them play in places
where they destroy property"
Miss Margaret r. Pepper, princi~
pal of Lafayette School, said that
the present home Of the library
branch is too far away for the chil-
dren to walk there from Lafayette
School.
'.If the library was at E. ". Brown
School," Miss Pepper said, at would
double the attendance OF our chill
dren at the library"
The five school principals will
join DR.. Corning in presenting the
school point Of view to the Conn
missioners at their hearing on =.
v. Brown School Wednesday in tho
District Building.
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