Mount St Michael Academy - Mountaineer Yearbook (Bronx, NY)

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Nfuyy - ' ,Ae ,'g':v,' 7, . , . if ga ff The First Ten Years The Great War was over, schools were over- crowded, and St. Ann's Academy taxed to the limit. Further expansion in Manhattan was practically im- possible, and the Brothers began to seek for greener, less-occupied pastures. Land abounded in the far reaches of the Bronx, and expeditionary forces ven- tured into these wilds. After careful explorations the most remote plot was staked out. Many a skeptical eyebrow was raised when informed of the choice. True, most of the area was undrained, a brook wound across the property and decided to settle in an un- sightly hollow near Pitman Avenue. Part of the land purchased had been used to dump Mt. Vernon refuse, rocks and rills had kept other prospective buyers away. Only the territory nearest Nereid and unpaved Murdock looked promising for school grounds. Even today, land to the south of the Mount affords grounds for comparison with those distant days. There is one advantage to an ugly duckling, and that is the price. Our ugly duckling was legally adopted on September 29, 1921, since it was his feast day, St. Michael the Archangel had no choice but to take it under his wing. Angels seem to have acquired amaz- ing know-how in rearing awkward children, for some day the ugly duckling would become a majestic swan. I 1 x . .-.hip -to ,atm s. -V Incidentals had to be attended to, Monticello and Hill Avenues had to be blocked off, and a mass of other details postponed the actual construction. Re- member, those were the twinkling Twenties, the era of .glittering prosperity, and the original blueprints were worthy of an elaborate age. Besides the main building, there was to have been a tremendous wing to the North, with a swimming pool on one floor and a gym on the other. Another large wing to the South would serve as dormitories, while a magnificent chapel was to lie to the rear! Perhaps these dreams would have come true, but it was getting late - 1925 already and the big burst not four years away. Ground was broken on September 29, and St. Michael took a tighter grip on the reins. By Christ- mas the steel was up and a certain question began to fly about, Bro. Leo, will the building be ready by September? In 1949 the question had not changed, the difference was that the first Bro. Leo was then the Provincial, while the second is the present Princi- pal, the first project was the main building, while the second was the Memorial Gym. In the lirst instance, the building was ready for September. Should we remark that the infant Mount bore an amazing re- semblance to the mature adult of twenty-five?

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'f', ' ' . X gg?ggL,,,Z,,,,,,H,,.,, ,,,, F., ,. ., , VHA, ,7,.,, ag ,, . . , ' 1 2 I 5 I Bro Florentius was in charge of the ioneer fac . p - ulty of fourteen Marist Brothers. With Bro. Leo, Provincial, he deserves our gratitude and esteem for guiding the school through the green . . . and the lean . . . years. Father Tapin took up the duties of chaplain which he was to perform so faithfully for twenty-five years, whence he would go to celebrate our jubilee in heaven. One of the founding Broth- ers has risen in stature with the school, until now he guides the destiny of the Mount as Director. The infant showed hearty vitality from the first, the registration scales reading a healthy 62 pupils. The child is father to the man, and some early cus- toms have remained with us. The first raffle for the benefit of the basketball team was begun on Novem- ber 16, 1926. The term Mount weather was coined when the rain chased the first graduation exercises in- doors to the chapel. St. Michael was paid due homage by a solemn dedication ceremony, during which his statue was unveiled. Mrs. Charles Augustine Robinson, world- famed National Flag Lady, presented us with an American flag. A tablet in the parlor commemorates this outstanding day in our history. The Regents tests that harassed the hrst students dealt with Civics, Silent Reading, and Spelling. Baseball was the first organized sport. An early Mount journalist reports, the large open area in front of the power-house affords us space for warming up the old wing, sometimes, alas, to the detriment of a few glasses in the windows of the laundry and to the great chagrin of the laundryman, to say nothing of the Reverend Treasurer. Our smile broadens when we read about a magnificent stadium which would occupy the hollow along Mundy Lane . Those were the days when winter sports did not mean football of basketball. Our scribe goes on to say, Many a happy hour was spent coasting down the slopes in the rear of the power-house. Then the brook was dam- med and the heightening waters provided us with a beautiful skating rink. Rousseau would have approved of one of the early extra-curricular activities, the cultivation of a large garden to the south of the building by the boarders. The Mount was a country school with a vengeance! The most glamorous activity of the year was the annual gym exhibition in which the whole student body participated. The 1928 exhibition set a pre- cedent by being rained out. These spectacles grew more impressive with the years and attracted thou-