Page 15 - Priorities 6

Chemistry, Greek..
Form IV: Religion, English, Latin, Modern Language, American History, Western Civilization, Advanced Mathematics, Physics, Advanced Biology, Greek.
In the European tradition, all of the boys attended Saturday morning classes; good students got one weekend off a month.
1958
With only a few weeks left before school opened, and 20 new resident students arriving, the need for dorm space was critical. A spare army barrack was located and moved in as an emergency measure at the very last minute. It had been acquired as a classroom but was adequate for sleeping despite the absence of niceties such as hot showers, windows and doors. But the weather was good, spirits were high and the boys simply showered in the building next door. Their dormitory (today’s junior dorm) was completed in December. The boys helped move their furniture, then set up classrooms in the old army building. They got a good laugh when, early the next morning, the local authorities arrived to check out the use of the army barrack they had authorized!
The first weekend ski trips to the Sierras began, a tradition that would eventually change to a school “ski week,” which continued until 1997.
The Gill family celebrated the Priory school’s successful first year with a garden party for the entire community.
1959
The “library,” an old wooden building from the Palo Alto Veterans Hospital, was donated and arrived on campus. (Today, it is the Fine Arts Building.) Virginia Allen (Mrs. Robert) Gill donated 4,000 rare books valued at $11,250 from the Woodside estate of Charles Jackling. Mr. Jackling’s statue still stands in the Utah state house, commemorating his leadership in mining engineering. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Jackling hang
Ralph K.) Davies opened her Woodside home for a fashion show featuring clothing from Elizabeth Arden. Guests received a small program with a tiny gray pencil attached; inside the program were several blank pages for their convenience in making notes about the fashions, coiffures and make-up. “People were fighting for tickets,” Fr. Egon recalls, and the sponsors later presented him with a check for $4,000. This may well have been the school’s first social fund- raiser but many would follow, at the Budge Estate, the Sharon Estate and many other beautiful homes.
1957-58
With 14 boys, a farmhouse that served as dormitory, dininghall andrecreationroom,andamonastery, the Priory school was officially opened. The “gym” was the open space in front of the building. The first classroom building was completed in October. By the end of the first year the school had the monastery building, two classroom buildings (including showers, restrooms and sinks for chemistry labs), tennis and basketball courts hand-built by students and monks, and a graded driveway.
Tuition was $700. Room and Board was $1,200.
The residents’ daily schedule that year: Up at 6:30, room cleaning, Mass, breakfast and 30 to 60 minutes of study time before classes. Lunch was at 1 o’clock, Athleticsfrom1:40until3:00p.m. Afternoonstudy began at 4, dinner was at 6, study began again at 7:30 and continued until night prayers in the Chapel at 9. Lights went out at 9:30 p.m. for the younger and 10:30 p.m. for the older boys.
Curriculum: Form I: Religion, English, Latin, World History, Algebra 1, Civics and Speech, Introduction to Music.
Form II: Religion, English, Latin, Modern Language (French, German or Spanish), Geometry, Biology. Form III: Religion, English, Latin, Modern Language, European History, Algebra II, Trigonometry,
The Woodside Priory School story began 1,450 years ago, with the life of St. Benedict and publication of his Rule, a guideline for community living.
Father Emidius
Father Leopold Father Benignus
Father Achilles