Cass Technical High School - Triangle Yearbook (Detroit, MI)

Page 14 text:

A Dissertation on the Modernizatio of Cass Technical High School The Detroit of today is an ever expanding, ever modernizing city. Cass Technical High School is a very essential part of Detroit. The new Civic Center, the slum clearance pro- jects, and the Expressways all signify a Dynamic Detroit. Our school system, too, has shown great progress. Functional and beautiful new elementary schools and high schools have been built. However, technical training in our city is represented by facilities that were built 34 years ago and which have changed very little since. Looking back over this period of thirty years, it is seen that Cass' scholastic influence on the industrial capability of the city has been tremendous. Now, as ever, the industrial corporations eagerly employ Cass graduates. But, in- dustrial expansion is now even greater than the expansion of the city in general and Cass' facilities are still mainly as they were 30 years ago. The day of the unskilled laborer is over. In the near future, every man and woman will need some essential technical knowledge in order to survive. While the responsibility for providing adequately skilled citizens is that of all the schools of the country, Cass must carry an added burden. Being the only technical school in Detroit, the center of the automobile industry, it is the job of this school to train its students to meet the city's demands. To do this requires an array of curriculums com- parable to leading universities. A graduate of Cass has not been taught only how a process is accomplished, but, also, the explainable and unexplainable reasons for it. He is capable of questioning a common practice and often improving it. He possesses a technical education. For many years Cass has met this constant demand, 34 of them in the present build- ing. In doing so, much outdated equipment has been allowed to remain. The physical state of the building has deteriorated. Conditions exist that hamper the ability of the school to do its job. In order to remedy this situation, an extensive modernization program is being undertaken. Cass Tech has to be ready to meet the increased student enrollments of future years. Only through great costs and sacrifices can this be accomplished. However, it is infinitely wiser to provide the education faculities Cass needs, rather than neglecting these needs and regretting the unavoidable results in future years. Since 1921, when the Cass Technical High School was completed, a minimum of main- tenance work has been done both on the exterior and interior surfaces of the building. The laboratory and shop equipment has only partly been replaced with more advanced and newer tools and facilities. Obviously, something has to be done about these blemishes on Cass' standard. The school building and contents are currently valued at approximately 315,000,000 . To im- prove the building's condition up to the level of a more modern high school with modern facilities, at least 351,500,000 would have to be spent. This, of course, seems like a large amount of money, and it is. Even, though this enormous cost would be offset easily by increased student interest, stimulated by the lighter, better equipped and more cheerful surroundings. Interested students do better, more satisfactory and accurate work. The result would be a generally higher scholarship and citizenship rating among the students, the realization of which would be ideal for any school to achieve. There have been many suggestions made concerning the renovation of the building. Some of them are realistic, practical and downright necessary. Others are quite impos- sible to adopt. First to be started is the new roof now being installed. Construction of an all new machine shop including completely modern lighting and electrical facilities was started June 1. The building shop is being transferred and the course revised. The Cass lunchroom is a major problem in itself. It has been suggested that the tea- chers' lunchroom be moved from the eighth floor to Room 713. The eighth floor space could then be used by Cass' student body as an activity. This solution also would eliminate the problem of split, Study-Lunch hours by providing the additional room necessary for the greater number of students. Another suggestion, often stated and repeated, is the provision of better acoustic properties for the lunchroom. Then, conversation between persons sitting on opposite sides of a table would be possible without sign language and high-pitched screaming. -10-

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Triangle Staff Annina Vulpetti Editor-in-Chief Q AUXILIARY MEMBERS E i i l Norman Waiter E Bill Brakeville M' Marge Adair Betty Chilles rrrrrr Jo Ann Drovedahl ',r-1 , Valetia Rogers mL Q ' ' Pat Luszki K M of Ellen Reitz Mr. Arthur Obel Assit Editor-in-Chief Sponsor Sylvia Koscioleck Elaine Grosso Jack Clark Eleanor Whalbrink Faculty Editor Organization Editor Homeroom Editor Co-Art Editor, .Tune Rose Lee Alex Marilyn Rosenthal Shirley Pekarski Gwen McFerran Co-Art Editor, .Tune Art Editor, January Business Manager Typist .9-

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In recent years, the location of shops, drafting rooms and some classrooms has been shifted and re-shifted occasionally. At the present time, many of these rooms are awk- wardly positioned. The shops and laboratories for a certain department should all be on one floor of the building as close together as possible. Therefore, it has been suggested, that the art department vacate Room 647, so that the printing department can put lithograph presses in that room. The art rooms should be grouped on the north side of the building to enable better natural lighting. The ex-boiler room should be renovated, and all the Auto-Aero-Refrigeration shops on the fifth floor would be moved into the space now called the boiler room, leaving the rooms 541-549 to be occupied by another department. Furthermore, renovating the boiler room will provide much needed music rooms. Arifle range is also planned for this space. The moving of the shops would be accompanied by the installment of new facilities and modern equipment as required. Care would be taken to lower the ceiling of those rooms now having exceptionally high ceilings and inadequate lighting. Elsewhere, two drafting rooms capable of holding industrialized equipment will be established. Home Economics will be spaced on two floors. Additions to the department include a power sewing room, a laundry room, and an institution type kitchen. A public address system from the main office to every room is needed. It would pro- tect students from harm and prevent deaths or at least lower the number of people killed. The public address system would speed all types of communications. The design of Cass' stairways is such, that they are similar to chimneys, i.e., they provide an upward air draft. In case of a major fire, the terrific damage to the upper floors of the building and, above all, the large loss of lives can readily be visualized by anyone. To safeguard the student body and faculty of Cass Tech is the most important duty of the school administration. Therefore, it seems necessary, that fire blocks should be built at each floor of each stairway. This relatively slight cost if immediately justified by the protection value of the fire blocks. These changes do not happen from today to tomorrow, so the present student body may not derive many of these benefits. Let no one forget, though, that now is the time to provide a better school for the future students. No one can say, whether tomorrow's Cassite will walk along a beautiful campus and enter a building equally outstanding in appearance, to conduct his studies there. The decisions are up to the administration, faculty, and student body. The student of tomorrow can only enjoy those things planned today. -11-