[Petitions (Colored schools) 1951 County-Wide League report on Douglass High School page 1 of 3]

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[page 1]
File petition
Mr. Chairman, Superintendent Emerick, Members of the Loudoun County School Board:
We the Citizens Committee, have been appointed by the County-Wide League to, again, bring your attention some of the many inconveniences now existing at the Douglass High School, and which has existed for a number of years.
The aim of any school is to provide the opportunity for the greatest possible development of hte child as an individual and as a member of society. Fundamentally, the educational program results in improvement in opportunities, ideals, and general conduct of the learner and in their efforts to select and engage in some useful occupation with sufficient success to insure security and peace.
To accomplish these objectives, it is very essential that the school plant be adequate. THe school plant in a great measure, determines the courses which are taught, the teaching materials which are used, the quality of the teachers who are employed, and the extent to which the general atmosphere of the school is conducive to learning.
We believe that you will agree with the above point of view. However, in 1948, and again in 1950 we brought to your attention many negative conditions which prohibited Douglass High School from satisfying this point of view. We have come to the point now where something must be done in the very near future, if this school is to retain its present rating of the State Board of Education.
[page 2]
This committee has visited the school and found conditions very unsatisfactory. Some of these conditions are:
1. Two or more class activities being conducted daily in the auditorium; each conflicting with the other to the extent that total confusion results.
2. The Eighth grade homeroom adjacent to the shop is de-plorable because of noise generated by saws, hammers, machines, etc. in industrial arts classes
3. The Home Economics Department which has an objective of teaching home making consists of one classroom where cooking, sewing, theory, home budgeting, child care and development, and improving and beautifying the home are all taught.
4. Thirty pupils are trying to occupy space in the library that can adequately accommodate twelve.
5. The stage which serves as a regular classroom does not have proper lighting systems, blackboards, proper ventilation or anything that lends itself to classroom atmosphere.
6. Space must be provided for an additional section in the tenth grade next term. This should be one room.
7. Space must be made available for at least too Foreign Language Classes for 1952-1953.
8. Judging from the present enrollment at Douglass High School and the seventh grade enrollments in the County, there will be an increase in this enrollment at Douglass High School in 1952-53.
9. The commercial classroom contains only twelve typewriters. This room is also used for other classes.
[page 3]
10. There is a great shortage in equipment and supplies:
Work tables and sewing machines for the Home Economics Department
Typewriters, desks, and chairs.
Hot water system for Home Economics Department and showers, etc.
There are other unsatisfactory conditions that we might mention, but the above are sufficient to point out to you that Douglass High School is desperate in need of additional class-rooms.
We are not over-looking the imperative needs for a gymnasium, and a cafeteria, but it is a case of emergency that more class-rooms be built.
The committee suggests that a minimum of six rooms be added to the Douglass High School in the immediate future.
We hope that you will give us the necessary improvement in the very near future.
The Citizens Committee
Canr P Cook Jr.
John W. Wanzer
James P. Anderson
Gladys Thornton
Emmett Jackson
Dorothy Thompson
John W. Tolbert. Jr.
Laura L Johnson
Charlotte W Berry
Jennie Winters
Carrie Brown.
Harold R. Hampton

Title: [Petitions (Colored schools) 1951 County-Wide League report on Douglass High School page 1 of 3]
Description: Note: this is only one page of a three page document. Transcription includes text of all three pages. This document is written by a committee of the County-Wide League that inspected Douglass High School, Loudoun County's only accredited high school for Black students. They report very unsatisfactory conditions including the "desperate need" to relieve overcrowding. While the school eventually needs a gym and a cafeteria, it needs at least six more classrooms immediately. They report multiple supply shortages across classes, ventilation and lighting issues, and "deplorable" noise in a classroom next to the industrial arts room. Based on the 7th grade enrollment in the county, the committee expects enrollment at Douglass to continue to grow. Conditions at Douglass were previously reported by the committee in 1948 and 1950 without change; at the point of this letter, Douglass' rating with the State Board of Education is in danger of being lost. The date Oct 1951 is associated with this document but it is unclear where that date comes from
Tag: Citizens Committee, Douglass High School, equipment, supplies, work tables, sewing machines, typewriters, desks, chairs, classroom space, urgent action, diverse group
Date: 1951
Creator: County-Wide LeagueSee all items with this value
Place: Douglass Elementary ColoredSee all items with this value; VirginiaSee all items with this value
Identifier: 1014980
Is Version Of: 1014980_EWP_Loudoun_Cnty_Trny_Center.pdf
Is Part Of: Black Petitions
Format: application/pdf DocumentSee all items with this value
Source: Petition labeled "2.5.A Petitions C County-wide League Concerns with Douglas H.S." in the 2.5.A Petition Box in the Loudoun County Public Schools Records Office
Publisher: Digitized by Edwin Washington ProjectSee all items with this value
Rights: Loudoun County Public SchoolsSee all items with this value
Language: English
Replaces: /Volumes/T7 Shield/EWP/Elements/EWP_Files/source/Ingest One/2 Petitions Plans School Board and Districts/2-5A_Colored_Petitions/2-5A_Trng_Center/2-5A Yr 1930s Petition 15 Whites in Leesburg Don't like Proposed Venue for Douglass HS/EWP_Loudoun_Cnty_Trny_Center.pdf
Category: 2-5A Colored PetitionsSee all items with this value
Transcription: [page 1]
File petition
Mr. Chairman, Superintendent Emerick, Members of the Loudoun County School Board:
We the Citizens Committee, have been appointed by the County-Wide League to, again, bring your attention some of the many inconveniences now existing at the Douglass High School, and which has existed for a number of years.
The aim of any school is to provide the opportunity for the greatest possible development of hte child as an individual and as a member of society. Fundamentally, the educational program results in improvement in opportunities, ideals, and general conduct of the learner and in their efforts to select and engage in some useful occupation with sufficient success to insure security and peace.
To accomplish these objectives, it is very essential that the school plant be adequate. THe school plant in a great measure, determines the courses which are taught, the teaching materials which are used, the quality of the teachers who are employed, and the extent to which the general atmosphere of the school is conducive to learning.
We believe that you will agree with the above point of view. However, in 1948, and again in 1950 we brought to your attention many negative conditions which prohibited Douglass High School from satisfying this point of view. We have come to the point now where something must be done in the very near future, if this school is to retain its present rating of the State Board of Education.
[page 2]
This committee has visited the school and found conditions very unsatisfactory. Some of these conditions are:
1. Two or more class activities being conducted daily in the auditorium; each conflicting with the other to the extent that total confusion results.
2. The Eighth grade homeroom adjacent to the shop is de-plorable because of noise generated by saws, hammers, machines, etc. in industrial arts classes
3. The Home Economics Department which has an objective of teaching home making consists of one classroom where cooking, sewing, theory, home budgeting, child care and development, and improving and beautifying the home are all taught.
4. Thirty pupils are trying to occupy space in the library that can adequately accommodate twelve.
5. The stage which serves as a regular classroom does not have proper lighting systems, blackboards, proper ventilation or anything that lends itself to classroom atmosphere.
6. Space must be provided for an additional section in the tenth grade next term. This should be one room.
7. Space must be made available for at least too Foreign Language Classes for 1952-1953.
8. Judging from the present enrollment at Douglass High School and the seventh grade enrollments in the County, there will be an increase in this enrollment at Douglass High School in 1952-53.
9. The commercial classroom contains only twelve typewriters. This room is also used for other classes.
[page 3]
10. There is a great shortage in equipment and supplies:
Work tables and sewing machines for the Home Economics Department
Typewriters, desks, and chairs.
Hot water system for Home Economics Department and showers, etc.
There are other unsatisfactory conditions that we might mention, but the above are sufficient to point out to you that Douglass High School is desperate in need of additional class-rooms.
We are not over-looking the imperative needs for a gymnasium, and a cafeteria, but it is a case of emergency that more class-rooms be built.
The committee suggests that a minimum of six rooms be added to the Douglass High School in the immediate future.
We hope that you will give us the necessary improvement in the very near future.
The Citizens Committee
Canr P Cook Jr.
John W. Wanzer
James P. Anderson
Gladys Thornton
Emmett Jackson
Dorothy Thompson
John W. Tolbert. Jr.
Laura L Johnson
Charlotte W Berry
Jennie Winters
Carrie Brown.
Harold R. Hampton

Item sets: Black Petitions

Media: 1014980_EWP_Loudoun_Cnty_Trny_Center.pdf