Atlanta Daily World

Over 4,000 At BTW Now; All Spaces Being Used
By RUTH L. CORNELIUS

Of the 3538 students in the junior and senior high school at Booker Washington School approximately 625 seniors will leave in 1947. Principal C. N. Cornell is more concerned about these seniors than he is about the 4579 students enrolled at the institution.

"I am greatly concerned about the 625 seniors who will leave Washington in 1947." because the colleges are crowded," lamented Mr. Cornell. "Even when most of the colleges accept the high school graduates now they insist on those having "A" and "B" averages," he continued.

"TRADITIONAL JOBS" INADEQUATE
The principal said the graduates of 1947 will not be satisfied with the "traditional Negro jobs" here in Atlanta. He insisted that the Atlanta community must set up trade schools, commercial schools, technical schools and liberal arts colleges to give further training to the high school graduates. He cited at case of a '46 graduate who came into his office last week to report to him that he had been unable to get in any of the local colleges and could not be admitted in other schools to which he applied for they were crowded. Mr. Cornell fears that the graduate who is kept out of school for these reasons will lose interest in school. Many of the disappointed youth have told him that they would rather go to a northern city and work than to work in just menial jobs here.

"We need a better economic world developed by Negroes in cooperation with members of the white race." declared the principal. "I believe in inter-racial understanding so that I may sit at the conference table and state facts and have them taken for their value."

Approaching the school on "C" Street one would never think that more than 4000 students are housed in the plant because there is no noise that one would expect emerging from a building in which there are so many people. During the interviews with him no noise was heard in the building. Shortly after the dismissal bell rang students emerged from the building for the day, I watched from the principal's office; the teen-agers went out of the building and off the campus on their respective ways home.

VETERANS AN ASSET
More than 20 veterans are enrolled at Washington this year and according to Mr. Cornell they are making a fine type of adjustment "They have a seriousness of purpose that was not evident before they entered the service." asserted the principal, who added that they seem to feel that there is something in education that they missed and they are now trying to capture it.

I have ridden on the car with the Washington students and have observed them. Many veterans carry their books home with them and show an air of pride in doing so. Another thing I have noticed several times that the boys wearing the discharge eagle read a book as they ride to and from school.

"Veterans are a definite asset to Washington; we are glad to have them." stated the principal

CHILD WELFARE EMPHASIZED
Although all available space Is pressed into service at the school and the school is overcrowded, the administration emphasizes child welfare at all times.

Food is provided in the cafeteria and during the one-hour lunch period all who are to eat there are served. From 750 to 1000 students have been served each day since the opening of school. For twenty cents, a plate lunch including a meat or a meat substitute, a green vegetable, corn muffin, white bread and a bottle of milk, is served.

Now that the USO is being used by the school a snack bar for students has been set up and is operated during lunch period. Here ice cream, milk, hot weiners, cookies sandwiches and pies may be purchased.

Realizing that the appetites of all students may not be satisfied at either the cafeteria or snack bar, Mr. Cornell announced Friday the opening of a fruit stand which will be located in the concession booth of the baseball field beginning Monday.

CLASSIFICATION
Davis Street School is under the supervision of Mr. Cornell. In that building is housed just one grade, the seventh, in which there are 1041 students in 20 divisions of the seventh low and seventh high. J. H. Bohanan is senior teacher of the sixteen teachers there

Despite the high enrollment in the senior high school comprising the 10th 11th, and twelfth grades, no class has more than 40 pupils and no instructor teaches more than 75 pupils during a week. No teacher holds more than 20 one-hour periods a week.

The senior high school has an "A" rating in the Southern Association of Secondary Schools.

Among the new classes at Washington this year are: The Family Home Planning and Management, Child Care, Home Nursing and Quantity Cooking. No girls are enrolled in the latter. The Home Economic course is being revamped in order to train girls for varied occupations in home living.

All space on the campus is being used for classes. For the present the physical education classes are being held outdoors, however, if there is rain there is a large room this is lieu of gymnasium.

The large tin building at the extreme southwest corner of the campus is being used for classrooms. It is interesting to watch the students who are there for the last period as they leave for home. They do not walk down Beckwith Street; they come to the main building, walk through and out the front door. To me there was something sentimental about that.