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Miss Doran and pupils 1911 The stone flags with which the rooms were floored have been replaced by boards; the greater portion of the old rafters have been taken away, those that remain have been cased with pitch pine and varnished with white alabastor work in the intervals between each rafter and supported by strong iron girders painted blue, which gives the rooms a more lofty appearance than they formerly had; a wainscoating of varnished pitch-pine rises from the floor to a height of four feet, above which the walls have been distempered and coloured grey; new porches have been erected, one in front of the centre, and one on each end of the building; the two latter through which the boys and girls enter their respective school-rooms, have been roofed to correspond with the interior of the house, floored with octagonal tiles and fitted with pegs for hats and cloakes in order to promote cleanly and tidy habits on the part of the children. New lavatories have been built behind the schoolhouse. The old furniture has been entirely removed, and two complete sets of the newest pattern obtained from Messrs Sullivan Dublin. By a simple arrangement the desks can be turned over to the back of the forms, and thus become comfortable seats for people attending lectures etc., and by another arrangement equally simple, they can be formed into tea-tables. The boundary wall in front has been lowered to a height of two feet from the ground. And an iron railing about two feet high fixed upon it, connected from each end with the building by side railings, on the outside of which are the paths leading to the schoolrooms. The ground in front will thus be private and Lady Bangor proposes having it laid out as a flower-garden. In order to carry out the work we have detailed, it was necessary that the schools should be closed for a considerable time which we fear has inconvenienced many families, but we are sure that all will agree that the improvements which have been made, fully compensate for the inconvenience which as been suffered. The patron and patroness look with confidence to the teachers, parents and children to co-operate cordially with them in making the schools in Ballyculter patterns of discipline, punctuality, order and regularity. S.R.W.
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