Evening star., 1951-01-04
By Olga Anna Jones

6yStSHtJ
By Olga Anna Jones
They're everybody's schools
those evening schools in the Ma.
tion's Capital. Enrolled in them
are young, middle aged anc
mature people. They hail from
many walks of life. They have
wide differences in their educa-
tional attainments. And they
come when they wish; they quit
when they wish. Perhaps most
people could benefit measurably
by enrolment in some of Wash
ington's evening school classes
particularly in those which enable
a citizen to participate more fully
and to serve more effectively, in
his own community life.
Ask a cross-section of evening
school students, why do you come
to evening school?" and one gets
a variety of answers. But there is
one answer which is not often ex-
pressed verbally by the students;
yet it. no doubt, looms large statis-
tically. 1t is that there is loneli-
ness in the personal lives of multi
tuGes of the population of this or
any other large city. The infor-
mality, the dignity, the oppor-
tunity to be with other friendly
people, often light a pathway to
the evening school doorway. And
there. hours that might otherwise
be lonely or even wasted, become
challenging, interesting and valu-
able. New friendships are made;
new viewpoints are discovered; life
takes on another broadening asset.
Many Seek Diplomas.
Many persons attend evening
school-actually more than half of
the total enrollment-to complete
their credits for high school grad
uation. Unfortunately they had
not been able to finish their high
school earlier, or perhaps had not
adequately realized that no one
ever regrets getting a high school
education; but that most people
who fail to do so, regret it deeply
in their later years. The evening
schools offer the opportunity
needed to complete high school
work. A high school diploma,
equivalent to day school diploma,
is awarded every evening school
student on his satisfactory COM
pletion of the required courses.
Roughly, between 200 and 300 are
graduated each year from the
white and the colored evening
schools Of the District. In voca-
tional subjects, certificates are
given on completion of a course.
Evening schools in the Nations
Capital are organized to serve:
Adults who wish to complete an
elementary or secondary educa-
ton.
High school graduates who must
complete special courses in order
to enter higher educational insti-
tutions or specialized fields.
Earning Power Training.
Persons who need special train
ing to improve their earning
power.
Those who wish special subjects
such as languages, special voca-
tional subjects, or others, fol
purely cultural purposes.
Foreign-born who wish to pre-.
pare for naturalization.
There is an important excep'
ton on that quitting when vol
wish" idea mentioned above. L
you are a student desiring higf
school credit, your attendance
must total at least Is per cen
of the class sessions during tn,
given semester.
Among the wide variety o
courses offered in the evenin,
schools are those on current worlt
problems, advanced geography
American government, Latin Am
erican history, law, foreign Ian
guages (including Russian), in
terror decoration, millinery, AM
many others in addition to reg
ular subject fields such as Eng
lish mathematics, social studies
sciences.
Largest enrollments this yea
In evening school classes are 70
commercial courses. particular
shorthand and typing, says tn
assistant director for evenin
schools, Mr.. c. c. Knight, i
charge of the white schools. HI
Office is in the Roosevelt Senio
High School building at Thir
teenth and Upshur streets NV
The Roosevelt Evening Hig
School, with more than 100
students, has >the largest enroll
ment this year, of all the evenin
schools in the District, Mr.. Knigl
indicated.
16 to 70 Age Range.
Students throughout the cit
fall within the age range of frol
16 to 10; there are. of course.
few exceptions. The create!
number, however, come within tn
20 to 40 year range. And as fc
men and women, well, there
one man for every three wome
enrolled, or in other words, abol
IS per cent are women.
There's something unique abo,