A STUDENT'S MEMORIES OF THE VILLA

It wasn't just the magnificence of the building that held
you in a spell. It was a combination of the finest education,
an atmosphere of love, intelligent direction, discipline, and
the Sisters'dedication to the love of learning and achieving.

The discipline was strict, but administered with love and
patience. Not one student complained.

Nowhere could a student receive a finer education than at the
Villa de Chantal. The Sisters' plans were superb. Every rule
or system had a purpose, the result of which was an intelligent,
disciplined, yet happy atmosphere for young ladies. All the
students loved being at the Villa. Some non-Catholic girls
were enrolled. They studied during the religious period.
Nobody thought anything of it, and all girls were friends.

In Kindergarten, Sister Mary Angela, was the teacher. Some
boys attended with the girls. There were two sand boxes.
Cloak rooms, one for each group, were monitored. Each student
had a clothes hook with their name attached. Red raincoats
were popular in those days, and nearly every student had one.
On each school day a special car drove to each student's home
for pickup in the morning, then returning them at noon.

In the Elementary, two grades were in each room. Sister Mary
Edmund taught first and seconds grades. While Sr. Mary Edmund
taught one class, the other class studied. At this age the girls
were allowed to study piano, enrolling with either Sister
Mary Ceclia, or Sister Mary Bernadette. Also, cello and
violin were offered as 'private lessons'.

For third grade the girls went into uniforms. They were quite
attractive. The middy was a light blue, the pleated skirt
was navy blue, and the VdeC emblem on the pocket.
So, rich or poor, all the girls were dressed alike.

Third and fourth grades were taught by Sister Mary Rita.
Sister Mary Rita was quite short, but not one girl made fun of
that fact. One year she taught the 4th grade students French,
which class was enjoyed by all.

Sister Mary Pauline taught fifth and sixth grades. She, too,
was a very sweet, understanding lady. Any student who needed
help was given special time, with a followup. Nearly all the
girls did well in every class, and this can be attributed to the
special attention given by the Sisters. It was during the fifth
and sixth grades that Class Officers were first elected. Sister
Mary Pauline presented an exciting account of the procedure, and
indeed, the students declared it a milestone in their lives.

The ballots were passed for marking, then collected. Sister
Mary Pauline did a private tally while the students sat at
their desks in wild anticipation. When Sister Mary Pauline
announced the chosen, the girls were allowed a discreet
applause for the winner. [A couple of losers with
questionable attitudes went through the waste paper basket
during recess time to learn for whom Sister Mary Pauline
voted. Sister had voted for the winner, who was the same
student who had beaten the snoops badly in the arithmatic
contest, and then went on to win the contest from the seventh
and eight graders).

Each Christmas the great event was The Christmas Play.
This was a very exciting event presented before the holiday
vacation. The parents sat in the gym on grey folding chairs and
gave great applause. The Sisters had a well-positioned rather
large dish at the exit doors (the second set of doors was closed)
so as the parents exited they could show their appreciation with
a monetary donation.

The girls in first and second grades were the angels. The
character roles were assigned to the eighth graders. In the
even of lack of talent or illness, the seventh grade girls were
honored to fill in.

The fifth and sixth graders were always a Speaking Choir.

Speaking Choir: That was the term applied to this special group.
The practices were intense, and could be strenuous depending
solely upon the mood of the speech teacher. [Although talented,
the usual Speech Teacher was a spinster without a sense of humor.
She lived at the Villa, but the girls could never find out
where. When she gave private speech lessons she looked at
herself in the floor-length mirror a lot. The students did not
know if this prolonged viewing was in happiness or despair.]

At the end of the play came the Crib Scene. In this instance
all the performers were jammed in on the stage, Angels bemoaning
their bent wings, and the Voice Choir was in front of the stage
on the floor.

Before the Finale the soloist and the voice teacher huddled
back stage with the teacher forcing lemon slices on the soloist.
This pre-finale sucking of the lemon slice procedure was to
clear the voice. None of the musicians thought it helped, but
said nothing as the voice teacher was a formidable lady. Besides,
the girls were too polite to critisize an adult. The soloist
sang well, but never smiled.

The Finale was the greatest event of some students' lives.
During this extravaganza, the soloist sang the memorable
song, "The Birthday of a King", with all students joining
in for the chorus.

Yes indeed, the Christmas Play was memorable. One year the
eighth grade girl assigned to the role of the Innkeeper was
made up by the Speech Teacher. A few moments later, Sister
Mary Aquinas snorted and called out in a loud voice, "Take
that moustache of that girl. She looks like Charlie Chaplin."
She did.

In the spring of each school year, the Senior High School students
presented a play. The dress rehearsal was always held during the
day so that all the grade students could view the fine talents
of the players.

At the appointed time in each classroom the Sisters' nods to
the leaders of the day moved the students to line up at the doors,
then silently walk to the gymnasium.

What a huge room! There were two double doors on the hall
side. The left wall held the entrance to the locker rooms,
and above that was a gallery row in which the non-teaching
Sisters would congregate to watch the programs. It was
an exceptional idea. This gallery could only be entered
from the second floor. The stage was to the right side of
the gym. It was unique in that double steps could be pulled
out from the base, and on either side of the steps were closets
that held hundreds of chairs. The stage lighting system
was of the latest design, and the stage held two grand
pianos, which were rolled to either side behind the curtains
when not needed. It was considered a great privilege to play
on one of the grand pianos.

At such an event as the dress rehearsal, the school orchestra
played. Some students thought the orchestra to be great, some
opined they could not distinguish the tunes, and a few dared
to whipser they determined it to be 'squeakly'. In any event,
it was a great honor to be a member of the Villa's Orchestra,
and, although it was a small group, most girls wanted to be a
part of it.

The orchestra consisted of a violinist, who was the 'leader';
two cellos; two more violins, and Sister Mary Cecila (Sister
In Charge) sat behind a screen playing her violin to either help
the other violinists or mask their wrong notes. A pianist
thumped along hoping to keep the group in proper rhythm. Sister
Mary Ceclia was a very special lady. She understood everything
except your lack of practice.

Each music student was assigned to a practice room. There
was a Music Locker and each girl had a 'slot' for her music.
It was the talk of the school that when you opened the music
locker the light went on! [This was an advanced gadget for
the time.]

Not one student could understand this phenomenon, so during the
lunch hour many girls gathered at the Music Locker to view this
magic. Each had a turn at opening and closing the door, and even
had one girl stay in the closet to be sure the light went off.
This was great fun until the Hall Sister walked up.

Each day the home room teacher would signal to the student at
the correct practice time, and the student would quietly slip
out of the classroom, walk on the beautiful marble floors
down to the Practice Center.

The Practice Center was on the lower floor, directly across from
the gymnasium. It took only a few steps for the girls to take
their instruments from the storeroom and gather on the stage.
Every aspect of this area, in fact for the entire building, was
designed with convenience in mind.

By the time a student was promoted to seventh grade, she was
guided by Sister Mary Aquinas. There was a time for a stiff
individual evaluation, guided by Sr. Aquinas. After a month or
two in her possession, she happily told you what she thought
of you. She was kind, but one student was offended by Sister's
criticism of her penmanship.

"I can not determine which is the vertical and which is the
horizontal," Sr. Mary Aquinas announced. It was a crusher,
indeed, a crusher.

It was the Palmer Method that required many lines of vertical
strokes, followed by many lines of horizontal strokes. It was
an odious task, but the students complied as they could not
graduate from 8th Grade without the Palmer Method Certificate.
This penmanship course was likened to the embroidery exercise,
as both were frustrating.

Finally, after all the strokes and tangled yarns were sorted,
the Eight Grade Graduation was planned.

The event was held in the room behind the main door of
the Sisters' side of the building. The ornate woodwork
was unique; one could stand and stare forever at it.
A beautiful grand piano was situated on a small stage at
the rear of the room, and chairs were set in rows for the
visitors.

The hefty vocal teacher from the area prepared the small group
of girls for the song. They sang in two parts, which was an
novelty then. The two altos, in top form, challenged the eight
Sopranos. For some strange reason the attending parents
applauded loudly. The Principal gave an appropriate speech,
a small celebration lunch was enjoyed, and all departed.

Being in eighth grade was a privilege as these girls were always
at the front of the lunch line. The other grades rotated their
positions in line, but the eighth grade girls were the leaders.
Before lunch, and in complete silence all grades moved into the
gymnasium. There, linedup around the gym, toes on the black
lines, the group offered a short prayer of thanks for the expected
lunch.

The lunch room was immaculate. All the food was good and
was served cafeteria style. The first and second graders
were served at their tables. At the end of the serving line
the Sister in charge counted the value of your lunch and
jotted it on a list. Students were allowed to bring their
lunch from home and sit with the other students.

Students could not visit the kitchen, but the girls always
peeked in when they took their trays to the window. You could
see the cook Sister in her white apron, the huge dish washer,
the stoves, and the less fortunate girls who worked in the
kitchen to help pay their tuition. These girls were boarders
and lived in a dormitory on the third floor. The cots were
made private by drawing the white curtains around it. There
were many cots and most of them in use. Each resident had
a small vanity, wash basin, towel - the necessities.

On the other side of the third floor was The Dormitory.
Girls from Chicago, Denver, and other far away cities were
residents. The rooms were nicely decorated and large. A cupboard
door hid a mirror and sink. The second cupboard offered space
for many clothes. The showers were down the hall.

The Chapel was in the shape of a cross. The altar was at the
junction of the cross, with the Sisters' section to the right,
the visitors and latecomers on the left side, and the student body
in the length.

At the rear of the student pews was a great pipe organ.
Sister Mary Loretta was the organist and played a grand tune.
Unfortunately, she had only one student, and could not pass on
her great knowledge to more. The one organ student gave a
recital at the end of her eighth grade and everyone enjoyed it,
although that could have been because the students' classes
were cancelled so they could attend the recital. At the end
of the program some girls started to applaud, but many more
uttered, "Oooooooooooh" and the applause ceased as it should.

The Confessional was in the main part of the chapel, and,
after reporting to the home room teacher that you had need,
you were allowed to visit the chapel. At the door of the
Chapel was a large box with black veils. One did not enter
the chapel without a head veil. Also, one did not overdo the
request to visit the Confessional as it could lead to the
Sister's wondering what you were up to, did it succeed, why
and when, etc.

The woodwork in the Sisters' Chapel section was extroadinary.
The beautifully carved circular stairs in the vestment room
were a mystery. All the girls thought the stairs went up into
the Sisters' rooms, but nobody knew for sure. That was the
mystery of the Sisters' quarters: not one girl had ever
been in there or knew anything for sure! Nor did they ever
learn where the stairs led to.

The younger students had a special play area with slides,
teeter-totters, and a Merry-Go-Round. The older students could
play basketball in a nearby court, or tennis. The tennis court
was of the first order. High fences surrounded it to keep the
balls in, and the three courts were well marked. None of the girls
could play a decent game of tennis but at that time, without
a comparison, they thought they were rather good and had fun.
When the bell rang ending recess, it was a long, hard run back
to the main building.

All was in silent order at the lineups by the doors. The High
School students used one door and the younger girls used another.
Everything was scheduled to prevent confusion and accidents.

At the doors the girls lined up in silence, then waited for
the Sister's nod, which was the proper permission to enter
the building. Actually, the Sister was making a head count,
but the girls didn't figure that out until sixth grade.

The Sisters were very aware of their responsibility for the girls
under their supervision. The Villa ran two school busses.
One, a long car with three doors on each side, drove the Davenport
route. A larger bus drove the Rock Island, Moline route.
In each bus there was a supervising Sister. The drivers were
older gentleman. When a young student had to cross the street
a high school girl would take her hand and escort her across
the road.

Not only was a fine education offered by the very dedicated
Sisters, they allowed, under supervision, students to have
swimming lessons and horseback riding lessons. A prominent
area voice teacher was engaged for private voice and chorus
lessons.

Another memorable event was May Day. This was thought of
as the finale for the school year.

For some weeks before the festival the students sold 10 cent
tickets to their parents and friends. The prize was $100.00.
Most of the students detested this chore so most of the parents
had to buy the tickets.

The May Day Festival was held outside, with a late afternoon
supper held in the gymnasium. Outside, on the tennis courts
each class decorated a stall. If you were in the Catch-the-
Fish stall class you had to beg junk items from the dime stores
in Rock Island. This was another detestable task. If your
class had the Bakery Stall, your Mother was asked to bake
a delicious item. At that point, the Mothers deemed it a
detestable task.

The May Day Festival started at 1:00 pm promptly. There was
a theme for the program. Each class from fourth grade on
had costumes and performed a dance. A student of any talent
and taking ballet lessons performed a solo dance.

Bleachers for guests were set up in an area near the ravine.
In front of the bleachers was a lovely grass area. At the end
of the grass area was a decorated stage. The High School students
had voted for the May Day Queen. At the first bang of the piano's
Processional March, the hopefuls made their way to the platform.
After the program the winner of the crown would be announced.

The ravine area was considered The Sisters' side, or so named by
the students. The long driveway separated the two sides. The
students were not allowed to walk in that area as the Sisters'
used the area for exercise and prayer.

But on May Day, the students were led by a Sister across the
lawn by the buildings, and down the deep ravine, where they hid
until it was time for their act. This was another plan of the
first order. All the students were excited, but contained
their glee. At the signal the class would pop up from the
ravine, on to the green and perform. The pianist played
for each dance, and Sister Mary Cecelia sat by the pianist to
insure the correct music was being played, and to turn the
music pages.

Up from the ravine, on the grass 'stage', the program began with
the accompanist banging on the piano with all her might so the
audience might hear the music. Depending upon the wind direction
the audience could/could not hear the piano music.

One by one, the acts appeared and did an outstanding job.
This event was of the greatest importance to the girls,
who wanted to do their very best and thus gain approval from
the their parents. That is what the parents were paying for.

After the students finished their acts (most of which were
successful) the ceremony of crowning the May Day Queen
began. The pianist tried to make sounds like those of a
trumpet. It was not a very good imitation, but the audience
was tolerant.

When the Queen's name was announced everyone cheered and
applauded. The Queen cried (as was expected of her) and
the other nominees tried to look happy for the Queen, but
everybody saw through the frozen smiles. Somebody put the
crown on the Queen's head and gave her a bouquet of flowers.

Then the royal party floated down the steps, over the green
and out of sight.

The crowd was a aroar, the students were cheering, the pianist
was banging out the recessional march with all her might, and
dear, sweet Sister Mary Cecelia kept turning the music pages.

Alas, the end of the tale.

God Bless the Sisters of the Villa de Chantal.

Anonymous

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