HOUSE MEMORIAL 73

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2009

INTRODUCED BY

Jim R. Trujillo

A MEMORIAL

DESIGNATING MARCH 5, 2009 AS "ST. MICHAEL'S HIGH SCHOOL 150TH ANNIVERSARY DAY" AT THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

     WHEREAS, in the summer of 1859, New Mexico Archbishop Lamy request the Christian Brothers from France to come to Santa Fe to open a school for boys; and

     WHEREAS, Brothers Hilarien, Gondulph, Geramius and Galmier Joseph arrived in the early afternoon of October 27, and they set to work immediately to open a school on Old Santa Fe Trail, in an adobe hut next to the San Miguel Mission; and

     WHEREAS, just two weeks later, the school opened its doors and the first boarding students arrived on November 9, with classes beginning on November 22, 1859; and

     WHEREAS, eleven years later, amid difficult financial times, Brother Botulph Schneider arrived in Santa Fe to motivate and direct the Brothers and students, bringing his spirit of joy and enthusiasm to his co-laborers as he began to raise money for upgrading and developing St. Michael's; and

     WHEREAS, during Brother Botulph Schneider's thirty-six-year tenure as director of the school, structures were expanded and the academic reputation of the school grew; and

     WHEREAS, two of the structures remaining from this period of St. Michael's development are the existing Lamy Building and the Lew Wallace Building; and

     WHEREAS, in 1876, St. Michael's conferred diplomas upon its first graduates; and

     WHEREAS, in 1926, a fire destroyed the tower and upper story of the school, and the damage was so extensive, and so expensive to repair, that St. Michael's faced closure; and

     WHEREAS, the school's director, Brother August, was walking downtown, contemplating the fate of the school, when he encountered Miguel Chavez, an alumnus and successful businessman who decided to finance the rebuilding of the school; and

     WHEREAS, the St. Michael's community continued to grow over the next five decades, and by the 1960s, it had outgrown its location on Old Santa Fe Trail, and in 1967, St. Michael's moved to its current Siringo Road location; and

     WHEREAS, the school became co-educational in 1968, after the closing of Loretto Academy; and

     WHEREAS, in the 1990s, science laboratories and new classrooms were added to St. Michael's and the Tipton Sports Center was completed; and

     WHEREAS, another new building was added in the first years of the new century, as were new classrooms, offices and improvements to the athletic fields; and

     WHEREAS, a statue of St. John Baptist de la Salle was recently installed at the school's front entrance; and

     WHEREAS, St. John Baptist de la Salle founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in 1680 in Rheims, France, and, although he was a son of wealth and privilege, de la Salle joined the priesthood and became committed to educating the children of the poor and of the working class, training and organizing, over time, a group of men to live in community and conduct the schools, and these men were brothers to each other and older brothers to their younger charges; and

     WHEREAS, the core principles of a LaSallian school are: faith in the presence of God; respect for all persons; quality education; concern for the poor and social justice; and a united community where diversity is respected; and

     WHEREAS, the mission statement of St. Michael's High School, with a college preparatory curriculum, is to educate every student in a spirit of faith and academic excellence according to Roman Catholic principles in the LaSallian tradition of the Christian Brothers; and

     WHEREAS, the one hundred fiftieth anniversary celebration begins on March 5, 2009, as this memorial is read; and

     WHEREAS, April 30, 2009 will be dedicated to the founders of St. Michael's High School with a celebration and mass presided over by Archbishop Sheehan and a reception dinner to follow; and

     WHEREAS, the celebration continues with a sports achievement event that honors St. Michael's long and successful athletic reputation; and

     WHEREAS, all of Santa Fe will be invited for Community Day on September 27, 2009, when St. Michael's one hundred fiftieth anniversary will be celebrated with the community, and this event will be celebrated in conjunction with the San Miguel Fiesta and will feature tours, games and visual and performing arts; and

     WHEREAS, an all-class reunion and gala will take place over the weekend of October 9 through 11, 2009; and

     WHEREAS, on Sunday, October 11, 2009, a mass at the St. Francis Cathedral Basilica will take place to honor the one hundred fiftieth anniversary celebration;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that March 5, 2009 be declared "St. Michael's High School 150th Anniversary Day" at the house of representatives and that congratulations be expressed to the Christian Brothers, students, alumni, staff and faculty, past and present, and that gratitude be expressed to LaSallian Brothers throughout the world for their commitment to educate all; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the entire St. Michael's community and alumni throughout Santa Fe, the state of New Mexico, the United States and the world are invited to attend and are encouraged to participate in all of the activities to commemorate this occasion; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the Christian Brothers; the St. Michael's High School board of trustees, students, alumni, staff and faculty; the archdiocese of Santa Fe; the mayor and city council of the city of Santa Fe; and the Santa Fe county commissioners.

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