St Bonaventure High School - Seraph Yearbook (Sturtevant, WI)

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school on October 26, 1901, by Father Dennis Schuler, O,F.M., who had been delegated by the Most Rev. General of the Friars Minor in Rome to make the canonical visitation of the Pulaski community. The names and points of origin of these students were: Peter Banka QHofa Park, Wis.J, Joseph Ga- bryszek tGreen Bay, Wis.J, John Kujawa tDetroit, Mich.j, Alexander Trawinski fChase, Wis.J, Joseph Szlot tGreen Bay, Wis.J, Casimir Koropaczewski and Joseph Motulewicz tSu- walki, Polandj, Joseph Lapacz, John Olszewski, and Stanis- laus .Pawlowski tPulaski, Wis.J, and Leo Sonnek tRadom, Ill.J. Much confusion has existed in the past with regard to the accurate number of students in 1901. School records list only ten, while Father Francis in his brief history of the school in the Kalendarz Franciszkanski of 1912 mentions eleven. Nevertheless, two of the students of 1901-02, Leo Sonnek and J. Lapacz, who are still alive, claim attendance at The Sera- phic School of Sl. Francis in 1901, and their presence is attested to by the other living members of their class and faculty, and by the still surviving lay brothers who aided the early Fathers in the maintenance of the school. John Olszewski left during the school year and thus it may be that Father Francis writing some ten years later, in 1911, put the final tabulation of students as it existed at the end of the school year rather than the ac- tual number of those who applied in September. The first faculty consisted of the rector, Father Romuald Byzewski, who taught La- tin and German, Father Stanislaus K. Lepich, vice-rector and teacher of English. U. S. his- tory, geography, and arithmetic, Father Francis Manel, guardian of the friary, the found- er of the school, and teacher of religion, bible history, penmanship, music, Mr. Charles Lepich, who first substituted briefly for his brother in some of the subjects during the first year, then with the exception of 1915-16 taught regularly from 1902-1922, and Brothers Hu- milis Wojtkowiak and Liberatus Borkowski. who taught the Praeparanda class in which lack of knowledge of certain required subjects for entrance into high school was given spe- cial attention, Eight students were in the first class and four in the Praeparanda class in 1901. First to graduate from Sf. Bonaventure Seraphic College in 1903 were John Piontek tlater Father Cyril, first Bonaventurite to become a Franciscanl. Frank Szczechowski tnow known as Heitski, a retired member of the Green Bay police force and at present bank teller in Milwaukeej, and Cesarius Krzyian Cnow a diocesan priest in Buffalo, N.Y.J. The number of graduates in the succeeding 10 years was 2 in 1904, 5 in 1905, 2 in 1906, 3 in 1907, 2 in 1908, 3 in 1909, 5 in 1910, none in 1911, and 5 in 1912. A list of St. Bo- naventure graduates in complete form appears elsewhere in this book. Humble and dif- icult conditions of the school in its earliest days, unfavorable communication and trans- portation facilities, a very rigid form of discipline, and the fact that the school predomi- llc-v. Joseph Gnlvryszok Arll'lllht'l' of 115111-02 A-lass Ile-law. I. to r,g I-'irsl si-p:u':i1v si-lmol lrliilslinu. lf'm-Ii, IEHHZ1 first friairy cluting l'rum IXRT in XYlll4'll classes were lu-lil from Sept, 10, ltilll lu I-R-lv., IU031 first II2ll'lSll vlxurvli and stud:-nts' 1-lmpel tthe latter from Sept. El. ltilll lo Feb., IEHISIJ. i L, -- a-away' annum 1901-02

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S4-lmffl bus - today. On the land donated by Mr. Hoff, the pioneer Fathers built in 1887 a two-story frame building, the south wing of which constituted the parish church. while the center and north wing served the needs of the young Franciscan community. Debts incurred o11 this building, the small number of Fathers 135 and Brothers 4129, and the ever-present danger for the next 16 years 11894-19109 of the Com- inissariat losing its independence. pre- vented any further progress with regard to a school. Whatever students applied for admis- sion to the Fathers were, in the absence of a preparatory school at Pulaski. sent either to St. Joseph's College, Teutopolis. Ill., conducted by the Franciscan Fathers 1O.F.lVl.j of the Sacred Heart Province, or to St, Lawrence College, Mount Cal- vary. Wis., conducted by the Capuchin Franciscans qO.F.1Vl. Ca.p.j. The names of those definitely known to have attend- ed either of the above institutions for the first few years are: Frank Szczechowski, John Piontek, Cesar Krzyian, Stanley Przybysz, and Vincent Konopka at Teu- topolis. and August Brylski. Adolph Drob- ka, and Stanley Gapa at Mount Calvary. It fell upon the already overburdened but zealous Father Francis Manel to un- dertake the tremendous task of establish- ing a Franciscan educational institution at Pulaski. Through his heroic efforts and for the prime purpose of educating Polish-American youth for the priesthood in the Franciscan Order. The Seraphic School of Sf. Francis came into being and opened its doors to twelve students September 9, 1901. This first group was labeled the twelve apostles of the new Al4'l'IIllLi Stuilvnts lull vwrff an nn -' ' Urovv: llllillfvl lmlnp lla-Ion: Study hull tm

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1902-03 , nantly accepted only boarding students, kept the number of graduates down to a surprising 862. From the first 12 stu- dents in 1901, enrollment rose to 60 in 1913 and to 93 in 1922, the last year at Pulaski. Starting with 113 in 1922 at Stur- tevant, student enrollment at St. Bonaventure reached its peak at the beginning of the 1946-47 school year with 217 stu- dents. Total enrollment during the past 50 years approximates 3500 students. II. NAME OF THE SCHOOL The official name of The Seraphic School of St. Fran- cis lasted only till February, 1902. It was then changed to Mr. John Kommku ,M St. Bonaventure Seraphic College and then simply to St. Member of fn-st student groin Bonaventure College in February, 1907, which title lasted flf '1'029 and 1f 0ff'SS0f lf '8 lf IEPI5-16. officially till June, 1928. From September, 1928, to June,1937, the school was known as St. Bonaventure Minor Seminary. Since 1937, by act of the definitorial congress of the then Commissariat, it was perma- nently decreed to be St. Bonaventure Minor Seminary and High School. Throughout the past fifty years, the school has been referred to as a college ffrom the Latin collegium and Polish kolegiumj by the faculty, students, clergy, and bene- factors. In its origin, the school was instituted as a preparatory seminary for the priest- hood in the Franciscan Order. Such seminaries in the language of the constitutions of the Order at the time and even today are designated as seraphic colleges . Moreover, in the European system of education upon which the school was patterned for a long time. all preparatory schools, whether for the priesthood or for the professions, were called col- legia. In addition, the fifth year or humanities was available to Franciscan clerics at Pulaski after novitiate till the founding of St. Francis College at Burlington, Wis. in 1931 where humanities and three years of philosophy are since taught. Finally, the school me- rited the name of a junior college from 1919 to 1928 when a complete and uninterrupted 5-year curriculum was offerred. - III. OBJECTIVES OF THE SCHOOL The original and still the prime objective of St. Bonaventure M.S. and H.S. is the edu- cation of Polish-American youth in preparation for the priesthood in the Order of Friars Minor. With the expansion of the building program other objectives were added. Thus, in 1903, candidates for the priesthood in the various dioceses of the United States were accepted. From 1910 on, day students were tolerated, though not in large numbers, both in Pulaski and in Sturtevant, With the change of the scl1ool's location in 1922 to Corliss fStur- Ainollic-1' vivw ut' the ss-html lblllilllllg' as it alxpeurr-il ln Iwi-011 l-'1-lr., 11003 and Sept.. lthlti. View of first svlmrzite ss-hunl building: