St Marys College High School - Peraltan Yearbook (Berkeley, CA)

Page 13 text:

2- , bf' F' 'Cb XV Q JA Q 337 F' p Q o K K ESQ' 9 W e ,, X ' O I., I f 1' M 1 J so sclfgg . 51 My I 1 L U 1 X O .S J ffMARTtN LUTHU' NG X b 1' Jn, mon SCHOOL 1- ? ls X Q I y ' Xv , ' J Wm, U C0 I 7 ' .go , 'T A V! Q5 5' 'Ju M Z' 2 'go 'Y A R f rh X . 4 n L ...lX.- -Y Tbe rurrent location of Sl. Mary? in Peralta Park, BerkeleyfAlbany, gm-3 hgh' gl ,,k, ,L above: lbe camplu from above, tbe 197741986 era. lep: tbe fampux from above, tbe 1956- 1965 era, below lep: a Jingle Jludenl room, very expemive. below right: lbe Jtudent lounge in Tbe Palate I 7

Page 12 text:

The dominant building on the new campus was St. Josephs Hall, a remainder of St. Josephs Academy, the previous school at Peralta Park, and residents hall fondly known as The Palace , Built in the late 1800's as a luxury hotel, it was an eccentric mixture of architecture, basically resembling a Swiss chalet. The second major structure, De la Salle Hall, was a huge building containing all the classrooms and housing 250 boarding students. It should be noted that after the move to Peralta Park, Saint Mary's catered both day and boarding students. For twenty years. the campus. with its beautiful lawns and gardens, remained unchanged. Then, in 1946, the omen struck again: fire. The south tower of The Palace was destroyed, forcing the top two floors to be pulled down for safety reasons. Two new buildings were added in the 1950's: the gymnasium, in '50, and the new St.joseph's liall, containing resident rooms and the library, in '56. ln 1965, The Palace was completely demolished, and due to a lack of earthquake safety, De la Salle was torn down in 1972. The Christian Brothers continued their educational excellence at Peralta Park. able to concentrate solely on a high school curriculum. Many extra-curricular activities were introduced, covering a variety of interests. The Collegian no longer existed, In its place was The Peraltan, a bi-weekly newspaper with a staff of fifty students. They were also responsible for one of Saint Mary's longest traditions, the annual Peraltan yearbook, In sports, one could choose between football, basketball, baseball, track, tennis and swim ming. Later cross country and soccer teams were formed. As a school of young people, the spirit of Saint Mary's was always enthusiastic and youthful, able to keep up with the times and trends reflected in its students. But the campus itself was growing old as the future rolled ahead, So, in 1974, a project for rebuilding the complete campus was introduced to allow the Christian Brothers to continue their work in the best of facilities and commit Saint Mary's to being a permanent educational institution. The Master Plan would be completed in several phases, over several years. The first phase involved building the Shea Center, a versatile cafeteria building also housing two classrooms, the plaza, a circular courtyard dominated by a large iron cross. located in the middle ofthe campus between St.joseph's Hall, the Shea Center and the gymnasium, and the Brothers Residence, The second phase brings us into most recent history. the construction ofthe science building, Harold B. Murphy Hall, Built at a cost more than triple the expense of the original Peralta Park campus, it includes modern physics, chemistry and biology laboratories, and extra classrooms for other subjects, The next phase is the construction of a performing arts center. The evolution of Saint Mary's College lligh School has been long and exciting. It has seen a civil war. two world wars, and twenty five U.S. Presidents. and undergone three location changes. And while the fashions, fads. and thoughts of many a generation and era have filtered through the school, its unstoppable spirit and dedication have remained constant. The Christian Brothers have proudly displayed their commitment to teaching making Saint Mary's a prime example of their work. This commitment was rewarded in 1986, when the school was chosen by the United States Government Department of Education as one of 65 exemplary educational institutions in the country. With 125 years under its belt. the future of Saint Mary's College High School is bright, and there is no reason to doubt it will remain for at least another 125 years Written by Martin C. Edwards, Class of 1988 December. 1987 l r The Iwo buildingr of Sain! Mdfyil College High School now gone from Peralta Park: De La Salle Hall and The Palace, qi -- ,

Page 14 text:

, , , HAROLD B. MURPHY HALL, built in 1986, was the most recently completed phase ofthe Master Plan. The Br. Timothy Diemer FSC Science Laboratories are modernly equipped for Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Physiology. The Br. Eugene Ward FSC classrooms include three classrooms and the computer room. The building was dedicated to Harold B. Murphy, Class of 1941. I ,, , 'Q 1- ,, sa., ,,g,. ,. f 'fwwsfiwa-'WX w T ft- ' . , . -1 , A ' me X xx THE GYM was built in 1948, lt's multi-faceted uses include basketball games, intramurals, assemblies, rallies, concerts, and masses. In 1977, earthquake safety reinforcements were installed under the roof and along the walls. VELLESIAN HALL, originally housing the maintenance and kitchen staffin the '50s, served as the Brothers Residence, then for storage. It is currently the Development offices building.