St. Andrews School May Get New Site

 Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Mississippi, Fri, Feb 11, 1949, Page 2

St. Andrews School May Get New Site 

A decision on the St. Andrews parochial school bid to purchase a tract of state land for the erection of a new school was reached late Thursday night when Mr. Sherwood Wise, a member of the board of trustees, said that a bid of $125 per front foot was "entirely out of reach" in regard to 'the purchase of the tract of land which adjoins the Jewish Synagouge on the north side of Woodrow Wilson Drive. The five-acre tract is 350 feet wide and 520 feet deep.

Plans now by the school leaders call for the construction of a series of new buildings to provide the needed space for the school. First project planned is a main building of seven classrooms. Another building, to serve as combination cafeteria, gymnasium, auditorium, would be built later. Estimated cost of the long range program would be $80,000. Mr. Wise said Thursdzy that the school enrollment has grown so rapidly that existing school facilities in the St. Andrews parish house have proved inadequate. The school was started in 1947 with four grades and 45 students. This session, another grade has been added and the enrollment has jumped to 106 students. The faculty now includes Mrs.

Franks, principal; five-grade teachers; music teachers; and a Christian education director. School leaders hope to eventually expand to a full 12-year school by gradually adding one grade each year. However, the plans depend upon the acquisition of a new site and the construction of new buildings. The board of trustees includes Dr. Vincent Franks, rector of St. Andrews, chairman ex-officio, Charles H. Russell, Dr. Eva Linn Meloan, Mrs. Fred Hodge, Mrs. J.W. Barksdale Jr., Lester W. Dawley, Dr. Charles Bowman, Mrs. Rees R. Oliver, and Mr. Wise..