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Villa Teresa School celebrates 70th year February 17, 2003 |
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Two reunions, an ice cream social and a
fund-raising event will be part of Villa Teresa School's yearlong
celebration of its 70th anniversary. Sister Veronica Higgins, alumni director and a longtime teacher at the school at 1216 Classen Drive, and the school's new principal, Joana Camacho, said four events have been planned throughout the year to make it convenient for alumni, former teachers and staff members to attend. "This anniversary actually will be more than a reunion; it truly will be a year of thanksgiving," said Higgins, who also edits the school's alumni newsletter. Among the events scheduled: A spring soiree and auction for adults to be held from 6 to 10:30 p.m. March 1 at the Coca-Cola Bricktown Events Center, 425 E California. The event is designed to raise funds to resurface and refurbish the school's outmoded playground. Tickets cost $25 each, or $45 per couple. An open house from 2 to 4 p.m. April 5 at the school. Displays of photos and school yearbooks, posters and collages inside the main building will depict Villa Teresa's history and accomplishments. An ice cream social from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 30 on the school grounds. The event will feature free refreshments, live entertainment and fellowship for returning alumni, and the school's present students and parents. A Thanksgiving chili reunion for former teachers and staff members from 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 23 that also will feature a chili and cornbread dinner cooked by Jeanette Potts and Dean Whitfield, two longtime workers who have retired from Villa Teresa. Owned and operated by the Carmelite Sisters of St. Therese of the Infant Jesus since 1933, Villa Teresa is a private parochial school that specializes in early childhood education. When the sisters moved to Oklahoma City in 1926, they opened the Little Flower School under the direction of the Discalced Carmelite Fathers. In June 1932 — when the sisters' order relocated to the Villa Teresa Convent on what's now Classen Drive — Mother Agnes Cavanaugh, the community's first superior, also opened a kindergarten, Higgins said. Not long afterward, patrons immediately began asking about classes for children of all ages. Classrooms were quickly incorporated into the sisters' recreation room and a narrow porch near the convent kitchen. Higgins said a month's tuition back then was $5. As the school and convent grew, nearby homes soon were purchased on NE 13 to house student boarders and to serve as novitiate quarters and an infirmary for the sisters. In 1940, the school was moved out of the convent to 1228 Classen Drive. The property that now serves as the school playground area was purchased in 1947. The elementary school building was constructed in 1951. An addition to the convent in 1967 provided living space for the sisters and a swimming pool for the school's children. The present center for 4-year-old students was bought in 1970, with corner lots cleared for a playground, which now needs to be updated and refurbished with new equipment, Higgins said. A Villa Teresa School alumni association was established recently so former students, faculty and staff members can renew relationships and show support for the school and its mission. The goals of the alumni association are to assist with upcoming reunion events, to help with the school's upkeep, to sponsor students needing financial assistance, and to publicize Villa Teresa School and its mission, Higgins said. For more information, call the school at 232-4286. © The Oklahoma Publishing Co. and its
subsidiary, NewsOK.com. |