Evening star., 1946-05-28
Brighter CIassrooms
For District Schools
Urged by Corning

Turning from a scheduled discus
sion of exterior aspects of District
schools, DR.. Hobart M. Corning
superintendent of schools, outlined
last night a plan for wide revamp-
ing Of classrooms to provide a
brighter and more interesting at
mosphere for pupils.
Speaking before gathering
sponsored by the Washington Chap
ter of the American Institute of
Architects to discuss the current
controversy over the Georgian ver-
sus the modern theme in school
architecture, Dr. Corning touched
but lightly on that issue. Instead he
told the group, which also included
a number of high District officials,
that he was personally more inter-
ested In providing much more light
and variety in classroom atmos-
phere than in the exterior design
of the schools.
Dr. Corning proposed that class
rooms vary in size, instead OF fol-
lowing a uniform design: that much
more window space be provided; !;
that walls of bright hues supplant
classroom brown" and that even
chalks of variegated colors be used
instead OF merely white.
Wants Ideas in New School.
The school head also said that
the city should divide cost of play
grounds with the schools. Sections
of classrooms and laboratories ad-
iacent to the Fairgrounds could be
shut off from the rest of the school
for public use at night as a COM
munity center, he added.
The superintendent already has
told the Senate Appropriation Com
mittee that he estimates $40, ,0O0, 600
worth of construction is needed here
He would like to embody his ideas
in these new schools, DR.. Corning
said last night.
Brig. Gen. Gordon r. Young
District Engineer Commissioner
stressed that the city is "woefully'
behind in its construction needs and
has little money in sight to meet
them. Building the $40, 900 900 worth
of construction planned by school
officials is wholly impossible" at the
current income of the District and
therefore is major" municipal
problem, Commissioner Young said
w. Brooks Gavin, jr., an architect
who showed plans of model school
buildings, criticized men. who en-
phasize outside design. Rather
than stressing Colonial slipcovers''
and symmetrical fronts" planners
should concentrate on classrooms
Mr.. Gavin said.
Judge Bentley Critical.
Judge Fay L. Bentley of the Ju-
venile Court added that too often in
Washington the exterior design of
new Government buildings is so pre-
scribed by a prearranged pattern
that it is hard to make the interior
suitable for use. However, co-opera-
tive District architects finally did
arrange for her to have a convenient
Juvenile Court building, although
Iuey were nanQlcapped, she said, by
demands that the exterior look ex-
actly like the United States Court OF
Appeals.
DR.. Corning said the dark class
rooms he had observed in many
Washington schools "depress" both
teachers and students. A "funera,
band" of blackboard extends all the
way around many of our classrooms
and the contrast of white chalk is
bad for the students eyes, he said,
The superintendent added the
present system of combining GYM
nasiums with auditoriuns is unsat.
lsfactory. but that he could no,
justify the expense of building two
separate rooms unless teachers ar.
ranged much more use of them.