Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-09-08
INTEGRATIONS FIRST YEAR
Some Students Found
Worries Exaggerated

ingS which he felt showed the
school was adjusting well.
A new colored girl student and
a classmate who was wearing a
Mckinley T-shirt were riding on
"a bus when some white students
from another high school stepped
near and made some remarks
about the students going to
Mckinley now. Several white
youths on the bus, wearing
Mckinley letters, stepped up and
said:
IF you have something to say,
lsay it to U.S."
After the other students,
cowed, got of the bus. one of
the youths who interviewed, a
Mckinley graduate. told the
colored Tech students:
ITS all part of being a good
Techite."
In another instance, a colored
boy. stating he hoped he was
causing no offense and intended
nothing personal, wrote an end
of-the-year note to a white
classmate expressing gratitude
that during the year the class
mates manner had made him
feel that II at least had one
friend"
DR.. Bish's opinion was that
the year, from a human rela-
!tions standpoint, was amazingly
isuccessful.
| Eastern, a combined junior
senior high school. was the most
integrated of the city's secon-
Diary schools. with a white
majority in the senior unit and
a colored preponderance in the
Junior.
Officials blamed the years
chief problems on having two
Iage-groups in the same build
ing. Junior high pupils were a
. discipline problem, and the
school had more than usual
truancy and hardness.
i Behavior Improved
I However. behavior greatly inn
proved during the year. Favor
able reports by two students who
visited a racially mixed high
school in New Rochelle, N. Y,
helped student attitudes. Prin-
cipal John p. Collins declared
regarding his junior high school
difficulties:
Il guess if I'd gotten $50 white
they'd have been just as much
trouble"
Some students at other schools
|, credited those at Anacostia High
School with taking the lead in
the october indignation strike.
Mckinley and Anacostia were
the first two schools to have
demon trations. Yet oddly
enough, Anacostia had only 43
, Negro students and no Negro
! teachers.
Repeatedly there was some
agitation in the school over
rumors of more pupil transfers.
These rumors proved unfounded.
, and once the demonstration
, ended the school settled down to
|, a largely uneventful year. New
! corners participated in various
school activities without difficult
ties.
A colored girl was elected to
the student council, and colored
: boys went out for baSketballs
baseball and track. Mixed swine
ming classes we're held in thd
adjacent outdoor pool. although
swimming enrolment. which is
voluntary, declined from the
previous year.
The school had a good sports
season. although Principal John
Koontz declared:
IF we'd had a couple of the
icolored boys Mckinley or Roose-
welt had we'd have won the
basketball championship"
! Roosevelt, Coolidge and West
ern Highs had no strikes, all
though all were somewhat int.
grated.
At Roosevelt, jefferson
/ At Roosevelt, with 19 per cent
lcolored, officials felt student adj
ljustment was highly successful.
Colored students were elected to
THE student council, participated
lin assemblies, made the honor
roll and were outstanding in
sports.
i Two colored basketball players
won varsity letters.
! Mrs. Elva c. Wells, the prin-
Ecipal, said of the newcomers:
II have never had as many
children come in and say Merry
christmas as last December.
i At Jefferson Junior High
School. most integrated of the
city's separate Junior highs. FRI
day night dances were dropped
! and teachers had many educa-
Itional problems. But colored
children were elected to the hon.
Tor society, mixed plays were
given and colored teachers, on
|, one occasion. were invited to a
party at the home of a white one.
jefferson students did not
strike. Principal Hugh Smith,
who did much advance SPADE
work on building good neighbour
hood relations, said:
Il don't believe I've had any
new problems because of inte-
gration-merely an amplifica-
ton of what I've had"
/ Just before summer vacation
this writer was in an assistant
principals Office at another
Junior high when two colored
girls and a white girl walked
in. One of the colored girls
said a white teacher, annoyed
at the class behavior, had said.
Just because it's the end Of
the year. it's no time to show
your true color"
This showed that there were
still some adjustments to be