The Key West Citizen Newspaper, February 18, 1953, Page 7

POINCIANA’S NEW ADDITION, top picture, houses 16 new classrooms and a library. Newest to Monroe County’s, schools, Poinciana is also the fastest growing with an average of 620 pu- ils attending daily. Lower picture shows end of old building ‘fo Which an extension has been added to provide an auditorium for school use. Original plant contained 12 classrooms ‘and was” badiy over-crowded. With new wing up to 900 pupils can be S gared for with ease Building will be turned -over to school autiorivies next month and put into immediate use—(Citizen Photos by Finch). ' fy Mrs. Rena. M. Redin -*faning recently in the n ‘of a new $759,000 s building is one visi- of the surviving . detounding expansion onal Congress of Par- rchevs in Chicago, Ill. ips, of our nation, 2 soil—will pay one unit, in their : seams during svoht women. ty Sitney first aad Mrs. Phoe- s was helper in v time,’ per- 1 neial aid uptil her death io note that Mr. cite toward better world mony fathers, ei today. elea her plan in p an 1895 and ex- novt year to a gen- on of Women’s Clubs, vurh interest. t pW zation, 1 feioncohip preved to be pro- folly timely for Mrs, Birney yal support after the husband. She emerged » woman of resolution nd iheir National Con- s of Mothers became our own ont day’ Nationa. Congress of ts and Teachers as we know it, Mrs, Birney was its first pre- sighnt. She died in 1907. Alice McLellan Birney was born Oct. 19, 1858 in Marietta, Ga. of Seets!: parentage. Her ear- liest education was in a private school, for public schools were searce, She later attended Atlan- ta High School and Mount Holyoke College, She was the result of a atmosphere of intelligence Sud -cultivation’ and must have grasped the great educational needs of the masses, less fortunate than herself. Her resolutions were strengthened of the fibre of know- Jedge-for she was a broad and avid reader. One daughter was born of her fifst marriage to Alonzo J. White ef Charleston, §, C. This husband died. There were iwo daughters born of her next marriage to Theo- dore W. Birney of Washington. It fs evident-therefore- that in best serv'ng the needs of her own, so @id her interest grow boundlessly tm all other children Mrs. Hearst Phoebe Apperson Hearst was born Dec. 3, 1842 near St. James, Mo. of pioneer parents from Va. and §. ¢ Both founders Soytherners, whose ideas and treving for a better world were not st Umited to one doundary of the Pnhee Sotes. [t well Dehooves Us, to examine ts national and- inter-national ques- The fact that Phoebe Hearst: be- came @ teacher at the eatly age “of 17, and taught first inher birth- place of St. James, where she had received her early education in a local distriet seiool, may have been the contributing factor of her interest in ¢hildren. She later married George: Hearst of San Francisco, Cal., who made a fortiine in gold mining. They had one son, William . Randolph Hearst. Mrs, Hearst beeame‘a'pro- minent. founder of Kindergarte: and was interested in all education. Her variation in interests ranged from having helped .to build a Cathredral in Washington and. a National : Cathredral : School for Girls to. having financed ands: to discover and st cultures in Fla., .Mex., R Italy and Egypt. She died in 1919. Poinciana PTA In reading the following story of Poinciana Elementary School, you, the reader, can trace the record of our own Peinciana’ Elementary School Parent-Teacher Associa- tion! 1 shall seek to stimulate your interest and acquaint you with the Association's pride in their. past accompl'shments. Your criticisms will not be’ graciously received un- til _you are known tobe a friend in sympathy. and: accord with the ideals of the asseviation- for today schools and most of American life” is undergoing a close scrutiny and probing; and-tho’ some of it is well intended: an element is infil- trating, who would ¢allously des- troy! Parent-Teacher’s Associations cited as excellent schools in which interested citizens can learn and participate as in a democratic gov- ernment and that is the exact pat- tern of its ideal as is.set forth in the National Congress of Parents and Teachers: Manual-1950-1953,_ a- vailable for 25 cents, Any. devia- tion from democratic principles in! local units must stem from human weaknesses and self-limitations and fears - from which no one of us is wholly spared. My memories of an Aunt Kate involve also theughts of the most delicious chicken.and. pastry (N.C. style)- I ever consumed. It oceurs to me now that perhaps this was due to the fact that on no visit did we ever find the dishes washed, the floor swept, wood for the great stove or a fowl dressed-but all of sorb all possible good of the talents and interests and experience of the service personnel. Agd. in 3 similar vein of thoupht, the séruice versep- el Well shiguid ‘exauiine ‘Ubeir: giti- tudes cuacerging Ue--schools aad PTAs to determine Whetber-or nyt they are warrgntable, =~ Birth of Scheel ugon @ time, as 98 good stories begin (this -stery. qualifies by Lise mammoth propartias of growth), Peinciana. Rlemestary School wag bern “on Sept. af, 1048, having. an enrollment of 123 stu- dents and the’ following six teach- ers: .Mesdames. Harding, Royce, Stetson, Fowler, Johnston, and Prof. Albert Carey. Besides teach- ing the sixth grade Prof. Carey al- so held the position of Assistant- Principal. He and Mrs. Gerald Saunders have the honor of béing the only ones left on the Poinci- ana Faculty of the first roster of teachers. The Supervising Princi- pal was Mr. Earl Hamilton. Four _,of the first teachers were Navy “wives as are several this year-ten years later! School was conducted within two wooden buildings (now Poinciana Maintenance Buildings) and two Poinciana apartment units, loaned for school use by the Key West Housing Authority, of which Mr. Wallace B.. Kirke was Executive Secretary, He still lives in Key West. A Mr. Lewis was then pro- ject manager. The present Poinci- ana Community Center served the school for assembly purposes and entertainments. PTA Organized Immediately- a Parent-Teacher Association was organized and of- ficers elected: Mrs. J. Spector, President. Mrs. L. G. Lewis, Vice- president. Mrs. J. R. Severson, Secretary. Mrs. H. Wall, Treasur- er.-There was much needful work to’ set upon! The group sponsored the. projects of a library, a Junior Club and the Thrift idea of selling . war stamps and bonds ‘in the + “school: Educational pictures were ordered for each room. The use of an electric radio and victrola combination and a moving picture machine was obtained. The Poinciana PTA of ten years ago envisaged a new school build- ing of 8 rooms and sought its reali- zation with the help of the school board and various worthwhile ac- tivities. A Dr. Furstinberg, the Feb. 1944 PTA program speaker concerning a Health Topic, was responsible for the condemnation of the pro- perty which is now the present school site. The City of Key’ West gave the first land grant. The first school building of 8 rooms and an auditorium and cafeteria- was con- structed. by the Paul Smith Con- struction Company ef Tampa. Flo- rida, through federal aid funds. ‘The PTA program planning com- mittee evidently made good use of student participation in operettas, skits and orations. I believe Prof. Carey is. quite as interested in the National Audubon Society now as was he in a March 194 program address! There are no available Poinciana PTA records for the 1944-45 school year. But evidently that was not sebool building with a total pupil enrojiment of 208. PTA member- ship was 56 members, served by the executive unit of Mrs. Wil News, President. Mrs. Mareau, Viee-president, aod Mrs. Lillian Coltigs as Secretary. Borty Programs PTA ptogrems for that year which caught my eye included a lecture in October- “What PTA Membership Means to Me™. by Mrs. Amelia Camus, who must have been most sincere. | discover she is the Corresponding Secretary for today’s County Council of PTA, whose monthly luneheon and meet- ing I was one of many privileged to enjoy recently, Other names familiar today in- clude Mr. Gerald Saunders, who often lectured and musically enter- tained with violin and voice. se- lections, and the present city com- missioner Eisner, whom history re- cords as the March, 1946 speaker of the Police Athletic League. 41 am patticularly appreciative of fle feeling of the discouraged pub- licity chairman who reported her failur¢.to,get her articles published in either the Miami Herald or the mn; for-today ‘1 serve in her ~ city... But perhaps I have a oy determination - for so far. lye managed acceptances, An Oct. Halloween Carnival, a Dec. Christmas Carnival, and a Tom Thumb Wedding in May were several events. A .P.T.A. letter of protest con- cerning the cruelties of hazings suffered by boys entering Jr. High School was lodged that year. Im- mediately I consider the present controversial Draft of Human Rights on an inter-national scale in our day. It has been the work of Mrs. Eleanor. Roosevelt and its fate will now depend upon her suc- cessor, Mrs. O. B. Lord. First Piano The first schoo! piano material- ized from several donations of local merchants and $100 from the P. T, A. Play ground equipment was transferred from South Beach and bought through funds of the Coun- ty Sehool Board and the Poinciana School P. T. A. clinic donations were recorded. The Arthur Sawyer Post No. 28, American Legion donated one aud- itorium ‘flag and one outside flag, which they plan to replace this year at the completion of the pre- sent construction. There are no re- cords of the school year 1946-47. Mrs, Thomas Gibson, now Poin- ciana School secretary, was elect- ed President of Poinciana PTA in 1947-48 and also for the following school year. 1948-49' Other execu- tive members included Mr, Gerald Saunders, Secretary, Mrs. Carlton Smith, Treasurer. 161 children were enrolled in 1947-48. The year’s PTA program themes were markedly consistent with ours today-for there is ever a need of stressing Foundations for friend- ship, better family iife, health, bet- ter schools, good educational pro- grams, good citizens, and better communities. Judge Thomas S. Ca- ro, Mr. Curry Harris and Rev. Brownie Nichols gave interesting lectures. A perfect attendance card, a- warded Mrs. Albert Carey, speaks well for the past teacher interest in PTA and that year our Poinci- ana PTA group was honored to re- ceive the Blue Ribbon for having reached all necessary objects An Oct. Halloween Carnival rat- ed special events notation. There followed also a Berm Dance and the anoval May-Day exercieses. An expression of grateful appre- ciation was deservedly given fo rstesd and her tor “the beacti ful cover year’s PTA pre- grams Poinciana trees were skillfully hand-painted on each cow * er! The Earl Keirstead family: still resides in Key West and Carl, a son,-now attends’ Key West High School. I find it amusing thai one - program. filed away evidenced hav- ing also served as a hurried past grocery list for some PTA partici- pant! Probably true today as well- for ‘women ‘needs must possess an unbelievable number of abilities and the uncanny art of using most of them at one time. PTA Helps School The PTA purchased a school eraser cleaner and accepted dona- tions of clinic.beds.. PTA requests were wired Bernie Papy for additional school .funds- school needs grow boundlessly and recurrently! - Our Fla. Gov. Dan McCarty re- turns from the inaugural to attack a pile of state budgets, some of special interest: ‘‘That the state milk commission thinks it will cost a quarter of a million dollars in‘2 years to prevent Fla. consumers from buying milk at ‘competitive ices.” “The milk commission managed to keep dairies from selling under fixed prices during the last two years for $127,000.” “For the next two years, the bud- get commission is advised, It will take $148,000 more. But there is no threat in sight that unless that much more money 1s spent dairies will begin to sell school lunch-milk at the lower prices some of them have been willing to set.” In a like concern, the 1947-48 PTA reéceiv:d an interesting tele- gfam from the Van Schaich Legis- lation, which requested support of PTA's and Women's Clubs to pro- test passage of senate Bill 656, which would transfer control of all milk and allied products inspection from the State Board of Health to the Agricultural Dept. The power of a woman should. never be under- estimated, . In 1948-49 other executive officers serving Poinciana PTA _ besides Mrs. Thomas Gibson as President were Mrs. C.'G. McGraw, Mrs. year was a Mrs. Alexander Tor- bitt, Jr. whe now resides in Wasb- ingtes State. Former PTA mem- bers often correspesd with their ons. Principal Corey cher Hatfield, Recording-Secretary and Mrs. Otis Carey, the Corres- “ponding Secretary. Sponsored acti- vities included the Brownies, Girl Scouts, and Cubs and the PTA edu- cational theme aimed toward “A Better Tomorrow.” HURRICANE HITS On Sept. 21, 1949 The Poinciana School suffered. great hurricane damage to the building. The piano was ruined by water beyond re- pair. Salt water killed the grass and. shrubs-in’ part, a long’ extend- ed project of PTA members and children of ‘the school, Prof. Carey has good reason to remember the thoughtful donation of another pia- no from Mr. and Mrs. J. Roland Adams! The P. T. A. continued to spon- sor the thrift purchases of war stamps and bonds. Mesdames Gib- son and Mecraw (now moved to Memphis, Tenn.) attended the state P, T. A. convention that year. In_ 1950-51 the school enrollment swelled. to 315 children! Poinciana P. T. A. sponsored the Boy Scout Cub Pack, the Junior Garden Club and the Junior Audubon Society and engaged in Junior Red Cross activities. Mr. Gerald Saunders, Mrs. Mar- garet Gravel, Mr. Darnell Carey, Mrs. Edna Johnson, Mrs. Olga Knowles, and Mrs. Doris Cruz com- prised the year's executive officers. Among the names of guest pro- gram speakers familiar now also include Prof. Carey, Mr. Stuart Whiting, Rev. Simmons, Mr. Ger- ald Saunders and Prof. Ed Sch- weitzer. Much of the good work of the Ko Se ii our schools. For example, year’s special projects of the Hal- joween Carnival in Oct. and the ack aH Th it $274. ot Tits the building of 16 pew classrooms ond « lerge suditeriam with “se cyclo- rama for hs saditoriom stage.” This comiruction is sow scheduled to be finished in March thie year, Ht became necessary to megetivie Halloween Carnival, a Thanksgiv- ing Pageant, “This Is Thanksgiv- ."" and the May Day festival. Mrs. Gravel, the was chosen a delegate io the Fla. State vention. Mike Jacobs of the U. S$. Navy and his wife, Lucille. will be long remembered for their A. 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