St Francis High School - Crusader Yearbook (Athol Springs, NY)

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'if' ST. FRANCIS HIGH SCI-IDOL W ENTRANCE Lake Shore Road Athol Springs, N. Y

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'VL lf E112 Glruzahrr 4 25,45 T1tle Page School Htstory lllustrattons Very Rev Provtnctal s Address Very Rev Founder s Address ln Mernorlam Fr T Vheprecht The Faculty Dedlcatton Class Offtcers Rector s Message Graduates Class Ptctures Class Htstory Alma Mater bong CONTENTS Hall of Fame OYfjUI11ZCIl1OHS Actlvlty Ptctures Soorts Hlghltghts Athlettcs Class Prophecy Class Wrll lNeWs l-ltghllghts Our Prayer Sentors Horne Addresses Boy Dreamer Our Patrons and Sponsors Acknowledgement M .3 X 5 ' RECTOR'S OFFICE X , . . 9 5- ' . Q C AU . ,AW

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is Uhr Glruaahrr 43 H236 ST FRANCIS HICI-I SCI-ICDQL On the 28th day of December 1924 a group of Polish American professional and businessmen of Buffalo under the leadership of the Very Reverend Iustm Figas Minister Provincial of the Franciscans Frrars Minor Conventuals g a t h e r e d in Corpus Christi Convent t consider the possibility of ere ting an institution of higher learning in which their sons and the sons of many under privileged Pol1shAmer1can Parents would receive a higher education and at the same time have the traditions of therr forefathers instilled into their hearts and minds The outcome of the meeting was most gratifying A committee to conduct a drive for the necessary funds was chosen It met with great success as suffrcient donatlons were obtained from generous friends to begin the con struction of a high school building In consequence of this success a decision was made that the committee should be permanent and that it should be com Polish American youth as their primary obiective To achieve this purpose of promoting and caring for the welfare of boys fitted for higher educations the permanent committee adopted the name of The Drivers of Saint Francis l-hgh School The site chosen was the beautiful eighty acre estate on Lake Shore Road in Athol Springs N Y an unrivalled location facing the blue waters of Lake Erie and wlthin 9 miles ot the City of Buffalo The ground for the erection of the building was broken on Iuly I2 1925 and the cornerstone of the building was blessed by the Right Rev Monsignor A Pitass on September 7 of the same year The hlgh school building com pleted was dedlcated on November 25 l926 by the Right Rev Monsignor I Murphy assisted by numerous cleraymen of the Buffalo Diocese and Fran ciscan Fathers In 1928 two large wings were added givlng the structure a more imposing appearance The architecture of the building follows the Tudor Gothic an adaptation of that grand style to residential buildings On approaching one is rmme diately impressed by the massive arched entrance of Ind1ana limestone It is a monument The coat of arms of the Franciscan Order aoove the arch the flanking niches that are to contain the statues of St Anthony the Patron of the Provlnce and St Bonaventure the oeraphic Doctor the snield bearing the symbols of learning and piety blend harmoniously and remind one of the venerable schools of old where he love or God and the love of true culture were so fondly fostered A certain gradation becomes evident as we pass the iron studded doors The vestibule itself is simple in design the corridor more ornate and finally the Chapel a revelation of what human craftsmanship directed by the human mind is apable of accomplishing Truly it is a dlfficult problem to describe sfgmtv '. I XF I tt ' I 1 A 'I I I ' :P A A ' ' r . ,fm ' ' J , o , ' ' ' ' C - ' ' ' ' ' ' ' I ' ' . .L I posed of prominent Polish-American personalities, having the good of the - I ' I . . . L . . I tl . , I 4. , V . l . r 1 ' . Q . D yi . 1 , . Q I , ln