Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 January 1912 — City Schools to Be Social Centers [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

City Schools to Be Social Centers

CHICAGO. —Thirteen public school buildings will be opened In Chicago soon as neighborhood social centers. For the first time In Its history the Chicago board of education •will offer to persons not of common school age some of the benefits that the presence of school buildings may bring to a neighborhood. This decision was reached at a recent meeting of the board’s committee on social centers. To help the people get their money’s worth out of expensive eqquipment used only a few hours dht of the day is the object of the innovation. At variance with persons who would have the use of school property and resources restricted entirely to educational purposes, the committee of the board intends to maintain places of evening recreation wherever the people of a neighborhood accept the opportunities offered to them. "Our idea in opening these social qenters," said Dean Sumner, in explaining the new policy, "is to learn if there is a demand for the use of schools by adults. If there is Buch a demand or if we can create it, we shall develop the centers into evening meeting places for parents’ clubs, for

social organizations and for civic debating societies, all under the direction of the principal of the eeiiter, who is also the principal of the school. “Last year we conducted ten Bchool buildings as centers for children. “Each of the centera for the children was provided with a principal and six teachers. Parents came in swarms with their children and so they really made use of the buildings as social centers for adults before the privileges were formally given to them. "For the children we. shall continue the privilege of recreation in the old schools and in those added thiß year. In the same buildings the older people will be urged to form social clubs, hear lectures, attend dramatics, join in advanced gymnasium work and hear and participate in debates.”