Page 3 - Priorities #24 2003-October

From the Headmaster
Dear Priory Community,
I find myself in a familiar situation at the beginning of this school year. I am trying to put all the faces with the names, and the task is even a bit harder than usual because we just welcomed the biggest student body in our history.
Nonetheless, I intend to be able to
say hello, ask how classes are going and
offer some moral support to each and
every student. This part of Benedictine hospitality is very important at the Priory because it is a place“where everyone knows your name.”
We reinforced that thought at our first Mass when we sang “All Are Welcome”as the opening song. We want our students to feel comfortable, known and loved, so that they can achieve to their utmost potential and focus on their primary task of learning in and outside the classroom.
Now, for some exciting news: The decision has been made and approved by the Board of Trustees and the Board of Directors (monks from WPS and St. Anselm), for the implementation of coeducational boarding starting in the fall of 2004 or 2005. We
are very excited about this decision and are planning and organizing the specific tasks necessary to make it happen.
Our revised Conditional Use Permit and Master Plan is being submitted to the town of Portola Valley. The revisions and facility improvements reflect years of studies and are necessary for us to remain
a competitive college prep school and a school of choice on the Peninsula. If you haven’t seen the three- dimensional model Master Plan, please drop by Founders Hall—it’s in the lobby.
The additions to our curriculum this year are enough to make a person want to quit work and go
to classes! They are AP Music Theory, Musical Theater, Differential Equations (our second post-BC Calculus math class), AP Comparative Government and Politics, Cultural Anthropology, China and the World, Shakespeare, and Modern Drama. Dr. Judith Browning will be taking the seniors in her class to the Ashland Shakespeare Festival this fall, and several equally
enticing field trips are in the works. Our community service program was revised a bit, and several new options are listed in the“G and H Block”activities period (as happens every fall).
I will be travelling to Asia in late October to meet and visit with our current parents, alum parents, alumni and friends. This will be my first trip to the Pacific
Rim countries, and I’m looking forward
to it immensely. Last year, Father Martin and Al Zappelli, Director of Admissions,
established parent and alumni representatives in five Asian cities. We all look forward to seeing the growth in this new network and renewing those friendships this fall.
In mid September we had occasion to honor Father Pius on the anniversary of his 50th year as a priest. Over 135 people attended a dinner in his honor—among them, Abbot Matthew from Saint Anselm Abbey in Manchester New Hampshire, superior of the monastic communities
at both schools. Abbot Matthew’s relationship with Father Pius is a long one, going back to the days when Matthew was a young novice here and Father Pius one of the monks who guided his training.
Over the summer the Priory community mourned
the loss of Marilyn Spears who worked in our Business Office. Her genuine concern for everyone that she served and her welcoming smile are missed. Our prayers were also extended to the family of Susan Ruiz, who died in early August. She is the mother of three Priory alums: Mark, Kathy and Michael. We also note with sadness the passing of Leonard Koppett, husband of our English faculty member, Suzanne. A nationally known sportswriter, he was unfailingly generous in giving time to our students, individually and in classes.
We start the year full of great hopes, dreams and visions, thanks to the terrific support we receive from each of the members of the Priory community. We all can be very proud of this school on Portola Road.
Sincerely,
Tim Molak Headmaster
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We want our students to feel comfortable, known and loved.