Woodside Priory School
Encyclopedia
The Woodside Priory School, sometimes known as The Priory, is an independent, coeducational, Roman Catholic, college preparatory, day and boarding school
in the Benedictine
tradition located in Portola Valley, California
in the United States. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco
.
Monks from Saint Martin's Archabbey in Pannonhalma
, Hungary
. In 1974, the monks affiliated with Saint Anselm College
and Abbey
in Goffstown, New Hampshire
.
The school began on an 18 acres (72,843.5 m²) ranch and over the years has expanded significantly to the point where the campus now encompasses some 50 acres (202,343 m²). Originally the school was made up entirely of all-male boarders, but over the years the ratio of boarders to day students changed to the point where today the boarding school
accounts for a smaller percentage of the high school student body. In the early 1990s, the school began admitting females to the day program, with the first coed senior class graduating in 1995. The Priory's boarding program was expanded to include girls in 2004.
The school competes in Central Coast Section (CCS) post-season competition.
; a theater, equipped with modern sound and lighting as well as a music lab.
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
in the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
tradition located in Portola Valley, California
Portola Valley, California
Portola Valley is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 4,353 at the 2010 census. It was named for Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola, who led the first party of Europeans to explore the San Francisco Peninsula, in 1769.Portola Valley is one of the...
in the United States. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States. It covers the City and County of San Francisco and the Counties of Marin and San Mateo...
.
History
The Priory was founded in 1957 by a group of seven Hungarian BenedictineBenedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
Monks from Saint Martin's Archabbey in Pannonhalma
Pannonhalma
Pannonhalma is a town in western Hungary, in Győr-Moson-Sopron county with approximately 4,000 inhabitants. It is about from Győr. Archduke Otto Habsburg's heart is kept at the Pannonhalma Archabbey, while his body was laid at the Capuchin Crypt in the old Imperial capital of Vienna.-History:The...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. In 1974, the monks affiliated with Saint Anselm College
Saint Anselm College
Saint Anselm College is a nationally ranked, private, Benedictine, Catholic liberal arts college in Goffstown, New Hampshire. Founded in 1889 by Abbot Hilary Pfrängle, O.S.B. of Saint Mary's Abbey in Newark, New Jersey, at the request of Bishop Denis M. Bradley of Manchester, New Hampshire, the...
and Abbey
Saint Anselm Abbey
Saint Anselm Abbey, located in Goffstown, New Hampshire, is a Benedictine abbey composed of men living under the Rule of Saint Benedict within the Catholic Church. The abbey was founded in 1889 under the patronage of Saint Anselm of Canterbury, a Benedictine monk of Bec and former archbishop of...
in Goffstown, New Hampshire
Goffstown, New Hampshire
Goffstown is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 17,651 at the 2010 census. The compact center of town, where 3,196 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Goffstown census-designated place and is located at the...
.
The school began on an 18 acres (72,843.5 m²) ranch and over the years has expanded significantly to the point where the campus now encompasses some 50 acres (202,343 m²). Originally the school was made up entirely of all-male boarders, but over the years the ratio of boarders to day students changed to the point where today the boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
accounts for a smaller percentage of the high school student body. In the early 1990s, the school began admitting females to the day program, with the first coed senior class graduating in 1995. The Priory's boarding program was expanded to include girls in 2004.
Student body
The enrollment of the Priory is 370 students spanning grades 6-12. The major population of the student body is from the Bay Area; however, international students are from 16 countries including South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, India, Hungary, Germany, Viet Nam, Germany, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa, and Indonesia.Athletics
The Priory fields teams in football, track and field, basketball, soccer, volleyball, cross country, swimming, golf, baseball, water polo, lacrosse and tennis. In 2000, the girls' volleyball team won the state championship for Division V.The school competes in Central Coast Section (CCS) post-season competition.
Performing Arts
The school offers Orchestra, Choir, Dance, Drama, and Tech. Three buildings were completed in 2009: an orchestra and choir rooms; a Drama Practice room or Black BoxBlack box theater
The black box theater is a relatively recent innovation, consisting of a simple, somewhat unadorned performance space, usually a large square room with black walls and a flat floor.-History:...
; a theater, equipped with modern sound and lighting as well as a music lab.