St Anthony of Padua High School - Paduan Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

Page 14 text:

■ minTKinrT 11 ■ 111 ■ mianipauuaniti ■ 111 ■ 111 ■ u u 11 iwm■ 111 ■ ST. ANTHONY SCHOOL 1885 To meet the ever-increasing need for more room. Rev. James O'Reilly, who had succeeded Father Tissot. built in 1890 a brick building. Both these buildings faced Second Street—the stone building in the middle of the block, and the brick on the east corner. The new building contained three school rooms and an auditorium. The frame buildings were discarded. These buildings seem to have fairly supplied the needs of the pupils for some twenty years. But as time went on they proved to be wholly inadequate and finally it was decided that a new school building must be provided. Accordingly. Rev. Patrick Kenny, who had been made pastor in 1910. entered upon the task of erecting the present building. He died before the structure was finished. Upon his successor. Rev. Englebert J. Wilbee. devolved the task of carrying it on to completion. In November. 1915. the pupils moved in. This building contains fifteen rooms, devoted to class work. There is also a large gymnasium, which is used for work in physical training, also for recreation. On the main floor is a large auditorium, which is of great assistance to the teachers. This is used almost daily by the chorus and glee clubs, and for dramatization work in the English department. There is also a cafeteria, where hot lunch is served every day to all those who desire it. The greatest need at present is more space, and the hope of the faculty is that in the near future an addition may be built to the school, so that the rooms on the ground floor need not be devoted to school purposes. 8

Page 13 text:

iTTnrnrnrn i ■ 111 ■ i n ■ n i ■nn=iAutJANi-i i ■ 111 ■ iirrrm ST. ANTHONY CHURCH, 1861 In 1861 the present stone church was completed. Some time later the old frame church was moved near the school, and it. too. was used to accommodate the increasing number of pupils. Prom time to time, as need arose, additions were made to those two buildings. As the number of rooms increased, there was. necessarily. an increase in the number of Sister teachers, and from the late 60’s on for some twenty years a man teacher was employed for the larger boys. Rev. Felix Tissot succeeded Father McDermott and was pastor from 1866 to 1888. During his pastorate, in 1885, a new brown stone school was built. It contained four school rooms. With the opening of this new building, a High School department was added to the parish school. Also a small private school, which from their first coming the Sisters had conducted in the convent, was closed and thecc pupils were transferred to the new building. There were now about three hundred pupils in attendance and even with the new building there was not sufficient room. 7 RtV. FELIX TISSOT

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aSEnJANl'II ■ 111 Bill ail 11 lli.llllMlllJ The High School was accredited to the University of Minnesota in 1924. The faculty had been considering this step for some time. It was felt that the work done was of high character and should merit this recognition. However, the school was lacking in certain equipment necessary to meet the requirements of the state. The library and the science department was especially lacking in this matter. In the fall of 1923 the faculty made renewed efforts to obtain funds to provide the necessary supplies. As a result, substantial additions were made to the library and to the science laboratories. In the spring, the school was inspected, and all those interested in its welfare were glad to learn that not only did the school meet with the approval of the state inspectors, but received many flattering comments on the character of the work done. For this favorable outcome of affairs many thanks are due to the alumnae, to the parents of the high school pupils throughout the city, and to the good people of the parish, upon whose generosity so many demands were made. Many thanks are due also to Rev. Father Wilbee. Had it not been for his generous and efficient helpfulness, the advancement of the school to the position it holds today would have been impossible. The school now enrolls about four hundred in the grades and one hundred ten in high school. Numerically, its growth has not kept pace with its years. This is explained by the fact that in the beginning its boundary lines were the city limits, and now there are in the same area some eighteen Catholic schools. However, to excel in numbers has never been the aim of the school. And it seems that we cannot do better than to follow as closely as possible in the footsteps of those who have so worthily carried on the work in the past, and to aim. year by year, to send forth classes of boys and girls firmly grounded in sound Christian scholarship, for which the graduates of St. Anthony school have ever been noted. ST. ANTHONY SCHOOL 9