Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 62, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 March 1912 — MAY BUILD FINE NEW HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING. [ARTICLE]

MAY BUILD FINE NEW HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING.

School Board Wishes to Keep Abreast >. of the Tines—Needs New BuildIng For Upper Classes. The abandonment by the Rensselaer school board of the approved plan to erect an addition to the old school building in order to care for the present needs of the schools was the cause of mature deliberation. The congested condition of the school buildings since the first of last September has caused the school board and the faculty to believe that it will not be long until much more room will be needed and they believe it better to meet the. problem now and prepare for the future. The addition had in it an element of make shift and it would have been folly to spend SII,OOO or $12,000 for an improvement that would have served only a temporary purpose. The board has now’ decided to ask the public to support a movement to erect a new building on the lots owned south of the city light plant. Jt is expected that the building will cost about $26,000. It will be for the high school and will contain the four high school classes, an assembly room for them, a laboratory and gymnasium. It will put the school abreast of the times, which it can not hope to be without more modern quarters. The old building was erected in 1882, the newer one ten years later and now there is a crying need for more room, better accommodations and some new equipment. The school board members have been talking with the people for some time and the plan seems to meet almost unanimous approval. All want to keep up the standard of the Rensselaer schools and to provide for giving our children the best education possible. The boa<rd will be pleased to talk this matter over with our citizens and The Republican offers its columns for a discussion of the subject.