Boys At my Boarding School!!!

9 years ago

During the summer of 1935 after I had completed my Freshman year of boarding school we began to hear rumors that what had been an all-girls school since 1882 was about to become coed. For many years local girls had been admitted as day students. Now boys would be admitted too.

All summer we speculated about the rumor, but communication at that time was pretty slow so we really weren't sure aboout it until school began in September.

Sure enough, come September, there appeared about twenty boys, most of them looking as if it really wasn't their idea to be there. There were just two in the senior class but the numbers increased in lower classes. They did not wear uniforms.

Our study hall was made up of double rows of school desks so it meant that there was a likelihood of having a boy sitting next to you for assembly and study periods. Some girls hoped for it; I feared it.

The school had acquired a coach, who also taught Speech, and who coached both football and basketball. He was good-looking and single so we all had a crush on him. There was no competition for the teams, owing to the very small pool of possibilities.One of the restrooms had been changed to male only, but the whole atmosphere probably seemed very feminine to those boys.

The nun who was principal at that time was more social than most and did all she could to encourage the boys. Every now and then on a Friday afternoon she would announce that the last classes were cancelled- that we were to have a dance in the recreation room. I don't remember the dances very well- I was, after all just 12 years old and not very comfortable around boys except for my 4 brothers. The older girls seemed to manage very well and some even danced with the coach. What a change it was for all of us!

This was the beginning of the growth of one of the first co-ed Catholic high schools in the state of Minnesota. The school has prospered; its sports teams have done well; there is now a male principal. I can boast, though that I was there at the beginning!

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Comments (10)

themommy1
9 years ago
Thank you for your tales , I so enjoy hearing them.
amicus
9 years ago
seniorgal, I love reading your posts! Although I'm a wee bit younger, I experienced something similar to you. I went to an all girls' Catholic school called St. Mary's Academy that was founded in 1864. It had boarders and local day student girls as well, but everyone wore uniforms. I was a local day student and attended there for my first year of High School. But when I was in grade 10, we were told the school would be closing, after the end of the school year, due to not enough funds to keep it running.

It was such a beautiful school and it was so sad to see it being demolished after 107 years! The girls from St. Mary's were then transferred to the local all boy's school, Assumption College School, which was a Catholic boarding school that also had local boys as day students, and was run by Basilian Fathers. We were the very first girls to join the school, making it Co-Ed after it had been an all boys school for 101 years.

The boys were thrilled to have us, but the priests made it clear we were not a welcome addition. It probably took them the better part of my first year there to accept that their traditions had to change a bit to accommodate girls. Some of the nuns who had taught us at St. Mary's joined the teaching staff at Assumption, so we did have some familiar faces among the teaching staff.

I did enjoy my time at both schools, but still find it sad when beautiful historical buildings are demolished, due to lack of funding. Please continue telling us all of your wonderful memories!
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Charlee_MO
9 years ago
I'm really enjoying you stories.

I also like that your stories elicit memories for others to share.

Thank you!
chisue
9 years ago
Thanks for starting new threads with a subject head about the content of that particular story.

Girls/Women have come a long way, quite fast, considering the limits that were in place for centuries.
sylviatexas1
9 years ago
My cousin told me that the girls at her summer camp used to sit on the pier after dark & flash their flashlights at the boys' camp across the lake.

That was the signal for the boys to row across.

I was scandalized!
pam_25f
9 years ago
Thank you. You write so well. I hope you are saving these memories for your family and school.
juellie1962
9 years ago
Oh, I love hearing your stories! I feared boys at that age too; I only had sisters and boys were foreign to me. I can't imagine being in a boarding school situation at that age!
Tell us more!
ont_gal
9 years ago
I am so enjoying all of the life stories of our members-Seniorgal;Sue-Va;Jemdandy;Chisue-"all" of them

It seems to me,that all of your life stories should either be in print or movie form for the rest of the world to enjoy.

What is truly so enjoyable is the proper usage of the English vocabulary,the excellent spelling,proper paragraphing-all of it-its' so nice to see in this day and age,where most words have been shortened into 3 letter "words" Thank you all for sharing-please continue to do so.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
9 years ago
I love that story! I can easily imagine the excitement throughout the population at having a male presence in the school!

Coincidentally, my own father entered a mostly girl's boarding school fresh out of Ohio State to coach and teach Phys. Ed. He was movie star handsome. Ask my mother, president of her senior class at the school! They were married for 60 years. Her parents were not happy (dirty old man, they said), but they got over it, lol.

She never talked much about those days so it's fun to read your stories, seniorgal!
3katz4me
9 years ago
Seniorgal - I'm in MN - would love to know which school was your boarding school?

Boys At my Boarding School!!!

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themommy1

amicus

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