Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 January 1919 — Plans for Better Rural Schools [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Plans for Better Rural Schools

Modem Buildings Provide Adequate Sanitation and Environmental Conditions .1

Johnny Jones and Mary Brown, who live in the country, will assimilate the lore of the three B’s under more favorable conditions, if the suggestions of the division of rural engineering of the United States bureau of public roads are followed in the constructioH~of one and two-room rural schoolhouses. Not only do modern, serviceable schoolhouses provide better sanitation and a more desirable environment in which the country children can be developed, but they add distinctly to the assets of"rural communities. For the service of those country communities which demand a larger schoolhouse than one room, the government engineering experts Recommend a two-room school to accommodate 84 pupils. In this building a folding partition or doors completely separates one room from the other. This house is

also provided with special domestic science and library rooms which open from the teacher’s platform and have private entrances through fire-exit doors from the outside. Plenty of coatrooms also are provided. In particular this schoolhouse is novel insomuch as the folding doors between the classrooms permit of throwing the entire space Jint<l-.one, large hall which can be used for community meetings, musicals, suppers, theatricals, or similar entertainments. Here again the library and domestic science rooms may be used by adults for other, than educational purposes without Interfering with school sessions. Furthermore, this school is provided with a basement which may be divided into play and lunch rooms, with still other rooms for cooking, manual training, furnace, I‘uer storage and toilet. If it is not desirable to excavate

the entire basement some of these rooms may be omitted. The basement cooking room is valuable as a place where the children’s lunches may be warmed or prepared. This schoolhouse may be constructed at first with one classroom and then as conditions demand the second classroom may be added. Furnace heat is used, the ventilating flues being so arranged adjacent to the furnace flues that a forced draft, Involving a complete circulation of fresh, warm air is obtained. The' windows are numerous and so situated as to favor the admission of a maximum of sunshine and light.

Model Two-Room Rural Schoolhouse.

First Floor and Basement Plans of Model Two-Room Rural Schoolhouse.