Evening star., 1952-07-11

SSASab w OSSVtbtS
Junior-Senior High
For Fall Term
By james 6. Deone
Eliot Junior High School will
have a Negro student body next
fall. ~
Transfer of the school from
white pupils was approved in a
6-to-1 vote by the Board of Educa-
tion yesterday.
Eliot'S white students switch to
Eastern High School, which be-
comes junior-senior high. East
ern elementary pupils move to the
Kingsman School and some Kings
man pupils move to Wheatley.
About 100 white children are
affected by the change-425 at
Eliot, $50 at Eastern Elementary
and 125 at Kingsman. Eliot has
been less than half occupied.
The transferred junior high will
reopen with not quite 1000 Negro
pupils. This still will leave the
Eliot section of the city with a
Negro student surplus of 300 to
400, who must be distributed
among other schools.
Mrs. Phillips Opposed.
Mrs. Frank S. Phillips was the
lone opponent of the transfer yes
terday. Albert E. Steinem alb
stained, as did President C. Melvin
Sharpe, who votes only in ties.
Two months ago, the board re-
jected the proposal, 5 to 4, with
Mr.. Steinem and Mr.. Sharpe as
well as Mrs Phillips opposing it.
But the other two opponents,
Adelbert w. Lee and Mrs. E. C.
Madgeburger, since have been re-
placed. Their successors, Walter
N. Tobriner and Miss Mary Har-
riet Parker, swung the reversal.
Mrs. Phillips, chairman of the
Buildings and Grounds Committee,
objected to breaking up the edu-
cational center constituted by
Eliot and Eastern, which face each
other. She said Eliot is the only
junior high between Anacostia
and the Capitol with an adequate
site.
She also expressed doubt that
space in the Negro schools is be-
ing fully used. She suggested tenn
porary use Of part of the new
Springarn High School for junior
high students.
Mrs. Phillips also asserted that
two new Negro junior highs, Doug
las and Terrell, "can easily be
operated at from 10 to Is per cent
above capacity"
Mckinley Substitute Proposed.
Mr.. Steinem urged the substitu-
tion of Mckinley High School.
He said it would accommodate
Armstrong High School students
and Armstrong could become a
junior high.
This proposal was made by sew
eral citizens at public hearings on
Wednesday.
Negro board members strongly
supported the Eliot move. how
ever.
Wesley Williams said the Nc
Kinley proposal was "out the win
dow" because Of it's technical
equipment not available in any
other white high schools. He
added that "we'd be here six
months listening to protests" if
the idea were adopted.
He also cited figures to show
Negro school crowding. Most
white secondary schools, by con-
trast, are below capacity, he
pointed out.
Eliot Principal Promoted.
The board promoted Eliot's
principal, John M. Fletcher, to di-
rector of special activities in the
secondary schools. Mrs. Louise A..
Chadwick, assistant principal, was
transferred to Paul Junior High.
Most Eliot teachers are expected
to move to Eastern,
The board yesterday also:
Switched Terrell Junior High
and the old Birney School to ele-
mentary use. Terrell will move to-
a new building. Birney has been
housing Douglass Junior High
pupils, who will also move to a
new building.
Closed Wormley School, Pros
pect and Thirty-third streets NV.
Fifty pupils who would have gone
there next fall will move to Phil
lips, Twenty-seventh and N streets
NV.
Ordered creation Of the long
planned centralized department of
food services to manage school
cafeterias. DR.. Corning told the
board the department will not be
able to start operating until after
the opening of school, but he said
he will seek Immediately to find
a director and assistant director. !.
Several applicants already are un-
der consideration.
The board decided to continue
holding only one meeting a month.
DR.. James A. Cannon unsuccess-
fully advocated two.