For Consolidated School
On Tuesday night, Oct. 27, a
committee of five from Tryon
met with a group of 17 interested
citizehs of Green Creek at the
Green Creek school to discuss the
proposed consolidated High School
for Polk County. The committee
was composed of the following
Irom Tryon, Ralph Farthing, Shan
non Meriwether, Manuel Holthous
er, Dr. J. W. Welborn and Jack
Craig of Columbus.
^ Discussions brought out many
iaecs oi interest.
It was stated that the funds
available to the county schools
under the recently voted bond
issue were far less than adequate
even for the grammar school’s
greatest needs for more class
rooms. That the State Board of
Education, not only approving a
consolidated high school, but
recommending it, would probably
favor this county with an alloca
tion of a far greater amount if
the county were united in support
of the' central school. That a cen
tral school, preferably located on
a plot of 50 to 70 acres could
be anticipated to be a 24 teacher
school, offering a full program
(with each teacher specially train
ed for his subject) of instruction
far superior to that now offered
the four schools in the county.
This could make possible to the
student upon graduation, a better
preparation for entry into business
life or for entry into college, and
on a par with students from the
large city schools. Other antici
pated gains to the school were a
music department with piano, or
chestra and band instrument train
ing, voice and music apprecia
tion, a full program of business
and bookkeeping instruction, of
agricultural and manual arts
training, and an athletic program
that could carry the name of Polk
County far and wide. These and
many other points of gain to the
high school students were dis
cussed.
it wag stated further that, up
on moving the four presently con
st tuted high school groups int<4 one
new building1, four grammar
schools could expand into the va
cated classroom facilities to' re
lieve pressure there, and that a
subsequent reduction in needs for
building these classrooms would
automatically make availaMfo, a
far greater amount' of our Wool
tax funds for improving the re
maining grammar schools in the
county, as well as our colored
school facilities. Thurs every
school in the county would be
benefitted.
A general discussion further
seemed to show an overwhelming
approval of the proposal of a
central high school if location
and transportation problems could
be mutually agreed upon.
The group agreed to ask for a
meeting with Mill Spring repre
sentatives and then to plan for
a county-wide meeting at the
court house to bring into focus *
what believes to be.au overwhelm
ingly large county-wide support
of the proposal.
It was agreed that such sup
port should be determined as
early as possible so that the offi
cial machinery 'could be set in
motion to present our need to the
State Board before allocations to
the 172 other districts of the
State have exhausted the funds.
Once before -we were offered
the money for a 'central* school,
but were passed up J>y the State
Board when we failed to agree
on a central school. It is certain
that funds are now again avail
able, but it is equally certain that
we must first agree that this pro
ject is to be desired and then pres
ent our claim to the State while
funds are still available from the
bond issue just voted by the State.
We may not have another opportu
nity to so greatly benefit our school
program.—Contributed.
FOR RENT: Furnished apart
ment on Godshaw Hill; close in;
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G or 143.—Adv. tf. '
HESTER REAL ESTATE
& INSURANCE AGENCY
J. B. Hester; Insurance Since
1905: iHester, Real
„ Estate Since 1923
Phone Noa4T<?-' Tryon, N. C.