Page 3 - Priorities #55 2013-March/April

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QFROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
Dear Priory Community,
Quiet reigns on the campus right now; as I write this, we are in the midst of our Winter Break and the beginning days of Lent. Before the students left we held our Ash Wednesday service for our students, faculty and staff. Fr. Martin explained the purpose of this season and how through fasting, prayer and almsgiving we can come to know ourselves better. He also mentioned how important it is for us to reflect on our role as individuals in the Priory community and how we need to take this time to find the ways that “God works in us, through us and for us” ( our Priory Mission). He reminded us that the gifts/talents we have been given need to be action based to serve our local and global communities.
Abbot Mark, newly elected, was on the campus in January for Board meetings and to help us celebrate our 55th anniversary. He honored our Monks for their 210 years of service as Benedictines to the communities of Pannonhalma in Hungary, Saint Anselm in New Hampshire, and the Priory. Wehavebeenblessedwithfouruniquereligiousmenwhoarededicatedto servicetooneanother and their beloved ministry here at the Priory. We have never been prouder to say we’ve Got Monks!
In this issue of Priorities you will read about:
• Our Spring Gala auction and fashion show entitled Back to the 50’s! The article
provides a glimpse of silent and live auction items, ways to underwrite or support, and pictures
of an evening you won’t want to miss. Come one, come all to show your support for our academic programs, our faculty and staff, and the Monks!
• Our Athletic Hall of Fame inducted seven new members at a school assembly before
the Break. They included two children of faculty member Paul Trudelle, a collegiate soccer All
American and Olympian, a San Mateo leading scorer in basketball, the tallest player in the NCAA
two years ago, and a Yale team captain. Theirs are amazing stories of past Priory athletes who
have pursued their dreams.
• 55th anniversary highlights many pictures of the evening of celebration for the Priory, past, present and future. Our values are timeless, our community is real, and our vision is far reaching.
• The Green Page provides an update on the progress of The Franklin Garden made possible by a generous donation from alum parent Ingrid Lai and her husband William Shu. We have fenced in the area, installed irrigation and electricity, built 30 planting boxes and will be ready for the all important planting season.
• Sports Medicine features a look at the 1st annual High School Sports Medicine Seminar in conjunction with the Golden State Warriors. It is organized by our Athletic Trainer – Korinn Myers.
• Alum parent Ray Rothrock and former Board Chair reflects on his years at the Priory, the changes he has seen, and the stellar academic program we offer to our students.
Right before we left for the Break, our faculty and staff gathered at Vallombrosa Center in Menlo Park for our annual retreat. We welcomed Sister Deborah from a Benedictine Abbey in Covington, Kentucky who shared her insights on The Rule of Saint Benedict and how it can reshape our minds, hearts, and relationships as educators and people. The day provided time for reflection, exercise, meditation, meals, and prayer, emulating a day in the life of a Monk. At the end of the day, as in previous years, we passed a candle around our circle and mentioned our hopes, dreams, gratitude or appreciation. This is always the highlight of the day and brings us closer as an adult community. The genuine care, concern, and affection that we have for one another and the Priory is very evident in the words spoken in that circle and make a powerful statement for the Benedictine ministry we are involved in.
When you receive this issue, Spring should be right around the corner and Easter not far behind. On the campus it becomes even more beautiful with flowers and trees blossoming, and the Seniors feeling the end creeping up on them. All of us here at 302 Portola Road are glad that we are 55 and still alive and continue to celebrate the wonders of young people, our extraordinary faculty and staff, and a dream that our Monks never leave us.
Sincerely, Head of School
From our humble beginnings and founding in 1956
the Priory has, decade by decade, continued to think strategically and to position itself as one of the top college prep schools in the area.