Page 10 - Priorities #18 2002-April

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Kwong-—father ofJon(‘05).Stanandhiswife Judy are former residents of the island, now living in Belmont. Stan, whose work with IBM takes him frequently to Europe and Asia, says :
"The Priory has the qualities that many Asian families seek when they decide on a school in the United States.
“The proximity to Silicon Valley, and the school’s contacts with the major companies such as IBM, HP, Sun Microsystems, and Silicon Graphics, are important. The ties through Priory families to biotechnology, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists are important because people want their sons to understand these new fields." Continuing, he adds, "The variety of cultural opportunities at and around the Priory for students to experience and participate in are also important, especially in classical music. Knowing that we place many students at Stanford, UC Berkeley, and the East Coast schools is important."
Back Home at the Priory
In reflection, was the whirlwind effort worth it? Emphatically, yes. Will the Priory continue the trips to Asia and other parts of the world? You bet. The Priory intends to nurture and build on its unique international diversity—this trip was a model for future endeavors, Al said.
Aladdsanappeal: "AnyhelpthatPriory alumni and friends can give to the boarding recruitment effort in their area of the world is gratefully accepted."
Al can be reached by email at azappelli@ woodsidepriory.com.
Residential Life Has A New Face, New Names
The dorm rooms today would look familiar to Priory alumni of earlier decades, but the dorm experience is contemporary. In place of monks or young men who live on the hall, the Residential Life staff now includes men and women, single and married—and families.
Last fall, the school community turned out to see Father Martin bless and rename the improved Junior and Senior dorms. They are Benedict House and Anselm House, respectively.
In earlier years, the Priory housed Residential Life staff in dorm rooms, right along with the students. That was a limiting factor on the candidates the school could attract and retain, explains Alicia Parker, Director of Residential Life.
"When we interview, we often are looking for talented people qualified as teachers, administrators and coaches in the day school program as well as the Residential Life program. We always are looking for someone who is comfortable with and eager to work with adolescents. The new, three-bedroom apartments makes this career choice appealing to a wider range of candidates," said Headmaster Tim Molak.
A new Resident Advisor program is designed to provide more opportunity for individual attention and better communication with boys’ families. Each Residential Life staff member is matched with five to seven boys.
A student health center is now located in the residence halls. The Parent Association has a Residential Life Liaison Committee to support the professional staff. Julie Basta, a member of the Residental Life staff, has as her special assignment weekend activities planning, so that she can devote more time to working with the boys in selecting events and including their day-school friends.
“We see plenty of signs that our students are going to see each other and stay in touch over the years,” added Al Zappelli, Director of Admissions. "These days, the opportunity to do that is better than ever. I hope this will be a long-term advantage for all of the kids who go through the Priory together,"
Ron Mok, class of 1984, joined Al in greeting students at the Taipei reception.
Was the whirlwind effort worth it? Emphatically, yes. Will the Priory continue the trips to Asia and other parts of the world? You bet.
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