Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-08-29
Catholics See
Increase in
School Rolls
5000 New Pupils
Listed, Causing
Capacity Glasses
BY WILLIAM A. MILLEN
Star stan Writer

SopoCIry SIuSSeS
BY WILLIAM A. MMLEN
Star stan Writer
Some $1,000 parochial school
students "a about 5000 more
than last year - will descend
next week on Greater Wash
ington area church schools, al
ready bursting at the seams.
Most of the Catholic schools
will be filled to capacity and
many have long waiting lists,
officials said today.
Some $4,000 students are ex-
pected in the parochial schools
of the Roman Catholic Arch
diocese of Washington, which
includes in addition to the Ma
tional Capital, Montgomery and
Prince Georges Counties, as well
as Southern Maryland.
In Northern Virginia, in the
Roman Catholic Diocese of
Richmond, Va, some $4,000
pupils are expected to attend
Catholic schools there.
OF Other Faiths
In two Jewish schools in
Washington, an enrolment of
nearly 500 is expected. The
Lutherans, with six schools, an
ticipated an enrolment Of
nearly 1000.
In the Washington archdi-
Geese, schools open Thursday.
A solemn high mass at st.
Matthews Cathedral at 1890
am. Wednesday will be the
prelude to the ringing of school
bells.
Inasmuch as the archdiosesan
schools have been integrated,
racial issues are not a problem,
officials said. There also is in
tegration in Northern Virginia |
Catholic schools.
Washington archdiocese's d.
rector of education is the Rt. |
Rev. MSgr. John S. Spence,
who is also pastor of st. John
Baptist de La Sale Church at
Chillum, Md. There are now
80 high schools and 78 elemen-
tary schools in the archdiocese.
Generally an increase of
about 7 per cent over last year
is expected in next months en-
rollment in the archdiocesan
schools, officials said today. In
the high schools, around 5000
pupils are expected, while in
the elementary schools around
Al 900 are anticipated.
New Wheaton School
There is one new boys high
school in Wheaton, Md, named
Our Lady of Good Counsel.
Glasses will be taught by the
Xaverian Brothers. 1t will start |
with 300 students, but expects
later to expand to 1900 when
fully occupied.
The Academy of Our Lady,
Fifth street and G place NV,
near the General Accounting
Office, is a new girls high
school opening with a fresh
man class of some 40 pupils,
but it will be expanded later to
a full high school. The School
Sisters of Notre Dame will
teach there.
In Prince Georges County,
there is a new elementary
school, st. Marks, on Colesville
road in University Hills, near
the University of Maryland. 1t
is opening with the first four
grades, with the Religions of
Jesus and Mary as teachers.
Two Schools Planned
Plans are in the making for
two new girls Ugh schools to
open in September, 1959-one
i'll Riverdale and another in
Suitland, Md.
MSgr. Spence pointed out
that since the Most Rev. Pat
rick A. O'Boyle, Archbishop of
Washington, took Office in jan
uary, 1948, there has been a !
112 per cent increase on the
elementary level and an So per
cent increase on the high school
level.
The very Rev. Msgr. j. L. |
Flaherty. superintendent of
schools for the Diocese of Rich
mond, said he anticipates about
a 6 per cent increase in en-
rollment this year. He looks for
around 10000 total in North
ern Virginia Catholic schools
this year. He pointed out about
one-third of our children are
in Northern Virginia.
I'VE are approaching the
Saturation point in all our
schools" he said. I'VE have
hopes of constructing new
schools in the near future in
Fairfax County, but the plans
are not yet on the drawing
boards"
MSgr. Flaherty said the Cath
Ole schools are desegregated in
Arlington and Fairfax Coun-
ties, but there is one colored
School-St. JoSeph's, in Alex
andria, Va.-because it is in a !
Negro district.
Lutheran officials said "all of
our schools are crowded. and
some pupils have had to be
turned away due to lack of
accommodations"