Page 3 - Priorities 65

Dear Priory Community,
We are right in the midst of summer break and the activity level, while quieter in the offices, is anything but quiet outside. It seems we have a lot going on at the Priory no matter what month it is—and that is the way it should be.
So what actually goes on within the walls of Founders Hall and on campus during the days of summer vacation?
We have people attending Mass every weekday morning at 7:15am with our monks and Father Martin is in his wood shop working on another project and planning next year’s Gala clock. Out front we have many forms of graders and bobcats leveling dirt for our long anticipated track and field and Father Maurus, as a member of our Building and Grounds committee, can be seen watching the progress from the hillside in the monk golf cart. Hundreds of campers arrive at 9am for a day of exciting activities at Mountain Camp, along with the obligatory singing as they pass by our windows; and a bit earlier, 80 students arrive to participate in the summer enrichment program, Peninsula Bridge, held at the Priory for 23 years.
Inside our offices, preparation for the 2016-17 school year is in full swing. There is planning for the inservice for early August, tweaking the Master Schedule, and celebrating birthdays for those here. There are construction meetings on the progress of our STREAM building, the track and field work status, design planning for the pool renovation as a swimming and water polo site, and work on the next
phase of 7 faculty and staff homes. In this list of projects, there is something for everyone connected with the Priory and enhancements to the program experiences for all our students.
The track and field, which can be seen from Portola Road, is the most dramatic landscape change on the campus since it was founded in 1957. With the removal of the berm we have restored the original view as you travel toward the Priory entrance and it will show a beautiful spacious green field bordered by a regulation 6 lane track and a renovated softball field against the hillside. It will be our main athletic field, hosting football, softball, soccer, track, cross country and the site of our annual Priory Field Day. It is our own Field of Dreams!
The attendees of our 5th Benedictine Life and Spirituality Seminar (BLSS) have returned from Saint Anselm having “lived the life of a monk for 3 days.” Over the past five years, 36 faculty, staff and trustees have journeyed East to meet, pray, eat and celebrate with the monks of St. Mary’s Abbey. This too started as a dream—to provide an opportunity to experience and understand the spiritual nature and rhythm of those who live in a religious community. Our hope was that it would deepen the understanding on what it means to be a Benedictine school and the mission that we follow in educating lifelong learners who model our five values. The reviews of this experience have been “5 star”— not only from the attendees but also the monks they meet at the Abbey. It continues to be a mutually beneficial exchange for our laypeople and the monks who come together to listen.with the ear of their hearts.
May your summer be one of happiness and joy, filled with honest and thoughtful exchanges that enrich the life that you live.
Tim Molak Head of School
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HEAD OF SCHOOL