Montgomery County sentinel., 1950-01-26
Gaithersburg Reviews
Schools Of Yesteryears
CONTINUED from PAGE y

present recognized safety precau-
tions, directly at the bottom of the
stairs. However the furnace was
not in service for some time and
stoves were used to heat the rooms.
In the basement were two class
rooms housing the domestic science
and shop classes. Besides the two
high school teachers there were
two elementary teachers, Miss
Nan Waters (Mrs. Graylawn
Thompson) and Miss Corrie Devil
bliss (Mrs. Benjamin Woodward
who completed the faculty.
A class of three seniors, COM
pared to ffty-one in 1948 and
forty-two in 1919, graduated in
1907. The first graduates were
Miss Mamie Briggs (Mrs. Charles
Phoebus), class valedictorian, Miss
Mae Phoebus (Mrs. Mae Briggs)
and Miss Mamie Hyatt who died a
few years later. A now prominent
county banker, Ira C. Whitacre,
was principal at that time with
the faculty increased by the addi-
tion of Miss Minnie McIlwee, de-
ceased.
The next graduating class was
also composed of three students,
Miss Landella Etchison (Mrs. Clyde
Griffith), Miss Winnie Andrews
Mrs. j. D. Briggs) and the first
boy to graduate, Rozelle, Wood
ward, now of Washington.
With the growth of the town
making more room necessary in
the school, two rooms and an as
sembly hall were added. Through
the years more and more rooms
have been added to the original
brick structure. The last addition
was the four rooms of the south
wing built in 1884. AS the COM
munity has grown, so has the
school. Other buildings on the site
have been constructed to meet the
increased population. In 1939-40 a
major building operation was
started when an elementary school
unit and gymnasium were raised.
Additions have been made to these
structures in the past few years.
During the Hoover administra-
tion, the home arts classes under
the direction of the instructor, the
late Miss Maude Broome, competed
in a National contest for better
homes. With help of the boys
class in agriculture, the girls re-
modelled the shop and made it into
home, completely furnished and
decorated. For this they were
awarded first honors in the contest
and letter of commentator was
received by the group from Presi-
dent Hoover. Their teacher was
invited to the White House for
tea.
With the growth of the school,
the staff has enlarged. When the
school opened in 1904 four teachers,
including the principal made up
the faculty. Today there are
twenty-three full time instructors
and special teachers besides the
office force.
The student of today groans at
the hardship of catching the school
bus at 8 a. m. When he arrives at
the school he hangs his wraps in
a locker, drinks from a fountain
nearby and studies or visits with
his fellow classmates in a warm
room while waiting for the bell to
ring. His father often walked
many miles to school, helped car
ry water. sometimes from a mile
away, took his turn at wood chop
ping and helped keep the box be-
side the stove filled. Today a
students after school hours are
filled with outside activities
which keep him occupied every
minute until dinner time. A gen.
Grafton ago the student hurried
home to carry water, chop wood,
OIL any of the many duties electri-
city and the automobile have now
eliminated.
The new building which will
eventually house about 800 pupils,
will be a one story ranch type
structure with twenty-five class
rooms, library, cafeteria, offices,
health suite and related facilities;
the heating and lighting will be
the most modern available. Nearly
half a century lies between the
construction of the little brick
building on Summit Avenue and
that of the planned 1850 model
! school on 0hSprVatOry Haiuhte