Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1958-02-27
Sherwood
High Plea
Turned Down

4 uIuCu DOWu
The lights will not shine on
Sherwood's playing field at
night.
The School Board Monday,
overwhelmed at finding itself con-
Quoting what amounted to a zon-
ing hearing. turned down 5 to 2 i
an offer of the Sherwood Ath-
letic Club to equip the football |
field now under construction with |
lights for night games.
The two opposing members
Wayne Birdsell and Harrison
King were not in favor of lights
at Sherwood but disagreed with |
Wylie Barrow's motion to set a |
general policy of not allowing
lights on playing fields at any
school.
so Backed Move
The Sherwood Athletic Club is
a group of some go interested citi-
zens, according to its spokesman
Burton M. Langhenry of Manor
Club Estates, who have been rails
ing money to furnish bleacher
seats and lights for the new field.
Lailghenry, who described him
self as parent whose daughter
attends Sherwood, said the Club
includes representatives from
service organizations such as the
Lions and Rotary, American Lee
gion, Sherwood P-TA. Alunlnae.
and Student Council.
Strong feelings against turning
the Sherwood school grounds into
a Commercial enterprise" We're
expressed by group of IA resi-
dents. neighbors of Sherwood
High. They were led by Herbert
j. Holland, Mrs. Charles Lucey
and Terrell w. Fur, all of Ash
ton.
Charging that night games
would bring about a radical
change in the character of a COM
munity'' which Holland described
as "a rural Georgetown" the
group contended that property
values in the vicinity would depre-
ciate.
They stressed that their oppo-
sifion was not to welI-rOunded
athletic program but in the words
of Mrs. Lucey, this should be sup
ported by tax money and not by
@hucEstering".
A small number of night games
for Sherwood High students each
,2ar would be acceptable, the
/foperty owners said, but they
were fighting "spring, summer
and fall bombardment of traffic,
lights and noise from all sorts Of
money-raising projects"
Langhenry admitted that his
group was Interested in raising
the $4,000 needed for seats and
lights In order to make Sherwood
Community center" open for
use by all community Organiza-
tons.
Plans of the Club, he said, were
to incorporate to sell 500 bonds
which might be paid back by
Embarrassing activities at the Cen
ter" As an example, he sug-
gested a concert by Lawrence
Welk and his orchestra before
possible audience of some 5000
paying spectators. This brought
boots of laughter from the opposi.
ton and from their comments the
board members also rejected this
idea.
Educational values of night
football and baseball were the
boards primary concern, mem
bers said. Barrow asked for
review Of the entire athletic pro-
gram as a result of the proposal.
Mrs. Rose Kramer recommend
ed that the county recreation de-
partment be consulted for advice
on setting up community athletics
at the schools. Although she was
in favor Of a well-rounded ath.
letic program, Mrs. Kramer felt
that now was not the time to en-
phasize this in the face of other
more basic educational needs.
Superintendent c. Taylor Whit
tier said that the Sherwood Clubs
proposal demonstrated need for
community athletic programs but
that they should be financed and
directed by the recreation depart
ment rather than the board of
education