GR Herald 1/15/1911

IN NEW CENTRAL HIGH BY FEB. 1

Students and Faculty are anxiously awaiting shift in scene

Many innovations with Move-Change in Session Hours and Once-a-week Chapel.

Both the students and the faculty of the Central high school are looking eagerly forward to the time when they will leave their present institution and move into their splendid new building. Men are working day and night in an attempt to complete the finishing touches by that time.

The date of the preliminary celebrations attendant upon the opening has been changed from January 21 to January 30, when the alumni reception will be held at 8 o’clock. The following night, Tuesday, the dedicatory exercises will be held. Superintendent Greeson presiding. The principal address will be delivered by Dean John O. Reed of the University of Michigan, President Norris of the board of education and Principal Davis of the high school will also speak. The High school orchestra will furnish music.

The dedication exercises and formal opening of the building to the pupils will be held Wednesday afternoon, January 30, the ceremeles beginning in the auditorium at 2 o’clock. President E.B. Bryan of Colgate university will make the principal address. Clay H. Hollister and Superintendent Greeson will also speak.

The High School Dramatic society will put on a production in the evening. The proceeds will be used to purchase furnishings for the auditorium stage.

Real school work in the building will commence at 8:15 Thursday morning, February 1.

The present plans are that school shall be dismissed a week previous to opening of the new school, so that students will be given the accustomed week vacation between terms, the only difference being that no regular exams will be given. With the change of bode he change of sessions will also be experienced. The sessions as they will be arranged in the new school will hold from 8:15 a.m. till 2:10 p.m., with 45 minutes for lunch. There will also be five minutes between each class in order to give thee pupils time to relax their minds and also so that they will not have to rush to their classes.

One of the most interesting points in the new school will be the large auditorium. This room is large enough to seat 1,500 people comfortably and is excellently ventilated. The stage is fully as large as that in the St. Cecilia auditorium and all the high school dramatics will be given on it. A very interesting event for once each week in the auditorium will be chapel. On Mondays at a different hour each week, the gong will signal all students to he auditorium. No one other then the faculty will know what hour chapel will be held until the signal is given, when all those in the basement will immediately form a single line in front of the middle door of the auditorium; all those on the second floor will form lines at the two side doors, and all those on the third and fourth floors will form lines at the balcony doors. The high school orchestra will then assemble and the pupils will march to seats, but remain standing until the music stops.

Announcements in Chapel

At the meetings the announcements for the week will be given out, an address or two delivered along the educational line, and songs will be sung. Principal Davis has ordered 1,500 standard academic song books, containing national songs, college songs, hymns and old-time songs.

The new lunch room is also drawing a great deal of enthusiastic attention and approval. It is complete to the last detail. A large gas range is in the kitchen, together with an ice box, a large coffee urn and a complete outfit of kitchen utensils.

The laboratories of the several sciences are a great improvement over those in the old school. In the place of wooden desks are some of granite, and running water at every desk.

The rooms are a little smaller then those of the old school, but they will be made to accommodate the same number of pupils. There are six large session rooms, which will seat 180 pupils apiece, and eight smaller ones that will seat only 40 each. The class rooms will average 24 seats. In place of the old-fashion armed benches, the new class rooms will be furnished with individual armed chairs. The present figures show that it will be possible to seat 185 more students than are present attending. Not more than this number are expected, as the usual crowd from the Union school will be cared for on the west side.

A great improvement is also shown in the cloak rooms. There are in greater number of hangers. All are marked and each student will be given a certain numbered hook on which to hang wraps for the rest of the semester. It is rumored that the teachers will lock the cloak rooms. This will be done in an effort to put an end to the stealing that has previous happened, and then so that it will prevent the pupils from taking strolls during their vacation hours.

Elevator Would Be Handy

An elevator seems to be the only thing lacking to make the new Central high school perfect, and this has been the subject of much criticism from both the teachers and the pupils. An elevator was installed in the old school a number of years ago and has been more than useful every day since. It has been used to carry teachers to and from different floors, to carry girls from the first or second floor to the fourth, to remove pupils, who often faint in classes, to the restroom, and in many other ways. And now that we have a new high school that surpasses all others of its size in the country, with an elevator shaft already in, it seems rather a pity that the board of education is unable to raise the necessary amount of money to install the elevator, especially when there are four floors and a basement in which classes are held.

Among the articles that have already been received is a large statue of Joan of Arc, presented by the Teachers Club of Grand Rapids, that will stand at one end of the first floor hall. The students in high school have raised a fund and will purchase two statues to stand on either side of the stage in the auditorium. One of these statues will be of the Wingless Victory Nike and the other is of Hebe. They will stand over five feet high.

A number of outside contributions have also been received, The University Club has presented the school with a very beautiful picture and the D.A.R. of this city has presented a large seal of Michigan, beautifully framed. Mrs. John Blodgett has presented two very beautiful pictures and other contributions are known to be coming.