Close off block of (Readers comment on Bridgeville group active St. Johns basketball McConnell? —Page IB school issue — Page 2C after 73 years—Page 3B statistics — Page 9 A ? > 110th Year No. 48 JOHNS, MICHIGAN THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 1966 SECTIONS - 34 PAGES 10 CENTS Junel date for treated water St. Johns' new $1 million water system will be working "on all four cylinders" by around June 1„ That's the latest date offered by city officials and-the water project engineers, this week. The installation of equipment aft the new water treatment plant on North Ottawa Street is progressing slowly toward a finishing state,. The big holdup now is in painting. An open, outdoor clarifying tank High Prospectus of Binda Associates, Architects New and the interior of a 400,000 -gallon water storage tank have to be Not enough room painted before they can be pu,t in operation. The engineers' speci­ for all the desks fications call for. at It wasn't but four or five years grade one day every week," Ser­ least three 'days of ago that a single room 27 x 37 rell said. "The junior high gets temperatures not be­ feet across the front side of Cen­ gym class 60 days a year, only t tral School in St. Johns held 32 one.-third or less of the days low 40 degrees. students. Not today. we're in session." UNTIL THAT TIME comes, or until the engineers relax their The room has since been di­ There are now 530 students in specifications, full operation of vided. Now 37 sixth graders oc­ Central School; it was designed the plant can't start. cupy one section 27 x 20, and 24 for about 350 students. There fourth graders are in a room 27 were originally 12 designed But work is still going on in­ x 16 In size! classrooms; four other rooms side the plant, anyway. Painters have since been developed, by and electricians are both still At Merrihew School just west partitioning,, for academic pur­ on the job, and there's a lot left .1'' ' •* *"V* ^^. J of US-;27.on Price Road, teacher poses and-somehow other space toTao." -- — - - -• ^.~4~-- has been turned into small, 4 Mrs Dorothy Parker supervises and teaches, 37 youngsters at crowded rooms for" remedial Testing of various pieces of the nine grade levels in a single room reading, guidance, and other such Architect Pardee's Drawing of How Eureka School Will Look With New Addition (At Rear) equipment is going on alm'ost not much larger "than the,'two duties. dally as the equipment Is Instal­ rooms mentioned at Central^ * * The St, Johns Board of Kducation has released if the new building program is carried out. The high led and tied in to the res£ pf the IN THE RURAL areas, there system. City Manager Ken Greer THERE'S NOT even enough are six schools with an enrollment these drawings showing how the proposed new high school pictured is actually the one at Grandvilje, but said it would probably be| about of over 40 students where the room for desks for alltheyoung- school and the remodeled Eureka School would look the proposed St. Johns High School will be similar. June 1 before production of fully .sters; half a dozen beginners do original room was divided, where treated water can be achieved. part of the entrance was changed "their work around a table, and Central Association of Colleges * * ' .their school supplies are stored to classrooms space or where Sipkovsky, Greenbush; Mrs and High Schools spent a day at ESPECIALLY UNTIL that time in a small cupboard. small additions have been made to St. Johns High School evaluating Arthur Fitzpatrick, Lebanon; Mr make it possible to use another Earl Darnell, Olive; Mrs Clar­ there'll be problems, such as the the facilities and program. In al­ Cancer Society 'kick off one that occurred last Friday. These are a. couple of exam­ teacher. most every department attention ence Mead, Ovid; Mrs Harqld ples of the crowded conditions Mead, Ovid Village; Mrs Val­ Water was off for about an hour was called to the lack of space Friday morning because a set of the St. Johns Public Schools find The children in these convert­ and the crowded condition of the entine Stoy and Mrs Elsie Har-' themselves in today. These are ed quarters—beginners and first mon, Riley; Miss Gracia Sexton. relay switches at the old water rooms as a handicap in giving a dinner set for Monday plant went kaput, shutting off the some of the examples the school graders and a few second grad­ sound educational program. Victor; Mrs Dewey Berryhilland Mrs Fred Black, Watertown; Mrs wells. The water level • in the board and school administration ers—attend school for only half- * * The annual "Kick-Off dinner The Rev Gerald C. Churchill, secretary; Miss Hazel Williams, are using to urge residents of the days. Herman Geller, Westphalia; Mr elevated tank on South Oakland "UNLESS THESE conditions for the Clinton County Unit of the minister of the Congregational treasurer; Rev Gerald Churchill, Street dropped down, lowering district to support a $5.4 million "Next fall there are two other Leon Coin, taverns and Mrs Har­ are remedied," administrators American Cancer Society for the Church, is the county crusade crusade chairman; Mrs Gaylord lan Dersham, Mrs Fay Osgood, pressure all over town. school building program bond is­ rural schools whose enrollment said, "St. Johns High School could Apr.il Fund Drive has been set for chairman. Doyle, education chairman; Mrs sue at the polls May 9. will be 39 children," WaltNickel, Mrs Arthur LaBar,Mlss Carmen lose its accreditation with North Monday, March 28, at 1:30p.m. at Dick DeGroot, publicity; Mrs Tranchell, Mrs William Dohoney, "Until we have water In the new administrative assistant in Central. We have been continu­ the St. Johns Congregational Dr James Beaton, well-known James Postlethwaite, service tank at the waterplantsite,we're Not all rooms and schools are charge of rural schools, said. Mrs Dale Finch, Mrs Gordon Ia- ously accredited since 1927. This , Church. gynecologist of Grand Rapids, chairman; Rev Hugh Banninga, covoni, Mrs Velma Beaufore, tied to our old controls system'," as extremely crowded as those "What do we do with the chil­ accreditation makes it much will be guest speaker of the eve­ state board. Greer said. The old system is so mentioned at Central School and dren?" Mrs William Barber, Mrs Ray­ easier for our graduates to gain Clinton County's quota for the ning. Father Edwin Schoettle, co- mond Eisler, Mrs Anton Peter­ bad, he intimated, that you could Merrihew. Neither are they iso­ * * acceptance in most colleges." cancer drive has been set at$9,- chairman of voiunteer activities, almost stomp on the floor at the lated examples. Township chairman are: Mrs son, Mrs Alfred Barnes, Mrs OF THE 37 buildings now be­ 000. from St. Joseph's Catholic Gerald Shepard, Bath; Mrs Wil­ John Paradise, MrsRichardBut- old-water plant and get something * * ing used throughout the school The North Central team also Church, will give the invocation. noted that junior high facilities Mrs Audrey Fruchtl, chair­ liam Chadwick, Park Lake; Mrs ler and Mrs Thomas Atkinson, to go wrong. "ALL THE buildings we have system, only five are less than man of volunteer activities, an­ Roderick Rademacher, Bengal; all of St. Johns. ' * * 'are overcrowded," school offi­ 40 years old. Central and East are overcrowded and no good program of instruction exists in nounced that the meat, potatoes Dr R. L. Wohlers will present Mrs Glenn Whltford, Bingham; THE WATER level in the Oak­ cials said. "Many classes in the Ward schools in St. Johns are both and coffee will be served by the awards to several dedicated Mrs Edmund Simmons, Dallas; land Streetwater, tower is now be­ high school are too large. Some over 80 years old. "We have not the areas of physical education, Revoked license art, shop, homemaking, typing Congregators of the church. workers. Mrs Robert Pettit, Fowler; Mrs ing regulated onapressure basis, of our elementary classes are looked up the ages of the rural Those attending need bring only * * C. Bauerle, and Mrs Robert driving proves costly with the pressure reading being schools'," administrators said, and vocal music. over 40 students per teacher. their own table service and a COUNTY officers of theAmer- Reese Sr., DeWitt; Mrs Mary Pe­ Harold E. German, 47, ofLan- made at the old plant through a The Junior high classes at Cen­ "but it's probably safe to say most * * salad or dessert to pass, THE BUILDINGS of the school ican Cancer Society are: Dr R. terson and Mrs Rhonda Pierson, sing wa's fined $50 plus court small copper line. The method tral are large and getting bigger of them are over 80, too. None of * * L. Wohlers, president; Mrs Wil­ City of DeWitt; Mrs Raymond Isn't always efficient, because the these buildings can house a mod­ district have been termed inade­ costs of $19.90 and sentenced to each year." quate, but in what areas are they MR AND MRS Kenneth L. liam J. Dohoney, vice president; Thornton, Duplain; Mrs Viola 15 days In the county jail last tank has been over-filled several, ern, adequate educational pro­ Dr F. W. Smith, chairman; Mrs Allen, Elsie; Mrs Lewis Bab­ times. gram." J lacking? Jones, chairman of the Congre- Wednesday for driving on a re­ . Sam Serrell, principal at Cen­ gators, will be in charge of the Audrey Fruchtl, volunteer activ­ bitt, Eagle; Mrs Clare Swan- voked license. _ Justice of the When the new system is in full tral.