Month: January 2017

 One of the first things you notice when entering Villa’s grounds are the trees. They spread across the 31-acre property from the castle-like building, all the way down the Tom Lord trail to the water. They have been around since the early 1900s when the school was built and served as a home for orphans. Back then they were mere saplings compared to the giants they are now.

What types of trees are they? Quite a variety actually. There are Poplars, Madronas, Spruces, and Douglas Firs, to name only some. The diversity of trees mirrors the different types of students at Villa. Students of all different backgrounds who find protection under the lengthy boughs from the rain, and chase each other around the sturdy trunks. Boys and girls skip down the path to the water, laughing and racing one another, while the trees stand guard and send leaves and pine needles cascading around them.

If only trees could talk. They would tell stories of Villa’s history, of witnessing Mother Cabrini’s arrival and when she decided on this particular plot of land to build a home for youths in need. They might have even peered into the second floor window and seen the miraculous healing of terminally ill Sister Delfina Grazioli after Mother Cabrini appeared to her in a vision in 1925. While simultaneously growing, the trees experienced Villa’s expansion to accommodate and teach 1300 children in the 1930s. The trees saw when Villa was saved from closing by a committed and loyal group of parents, and also when the sisters bid adieu to the school in 1997. To this day, Villa’s trees observe all of the love and compassion that members of the Villa community show one another, as well as the struggles and hard times that the school sometimes endures.

The trees stand tall around Villa with whispers of a sacred history rustling their branches. Some of them are decaying or have collapsed, but members of Villa’s community still honor them by preserving them when possible. At one time, a Madrona tree leaned precariously over the soccer field. Ryan Erickson, the Facilities Director, refused to let such beautiful wood go to waste. The Madrona was made into a beautiful dining room table that was sold at the Villa auction in 2016 and now has a place in a Villa family’s home.

Villa’s trees give life to the school in so many ways. They are homes for wildlife that the students study and observe, and they also serve as subjects for experiments and math equations. The community does such a great job of maintaining and caring for the wealth of nature sitting on Villa’s property, and who knows what interesting secrets and pieces of history that Villa’s gentle giants will continue to witness.

Every day I come to work, I’m flooded with memories from the time I was a student at Villa. I feel so lucky to have attended this school. I met some of my closest friends here when I was just five years old. I was a timid kindergartner at first, always crying when my mom dropped me off in the mornings and then rushing up to hug her when she worked in the lunchroom. But after a few weeks with my fellow classmates, my parents had to pry me away from school in the afternoons.

Mrs. Rector was my first teacher here, and she has long since left the school. I still have vivid memories of her turning the lights down for nap time and asking each of us to grab a carpet square. Instead of sleeping, many of us would put our carpets together in a small circle and whisper about who had the coolest eighth grade buddy or the best Playmobil set.

I remember reaching lofty milestones, like learning left from right, finally being able to somewhat tie my own shoes and tell the time, struggling through reading a Berenstain Bear book, and drawing a Christmas tree. I remember racing out to the playground- back when it was the old cement and metal play ground composed of massive tunnels pushed together with secret hideouts above and in between them- to be the first one to reach the wood chips, and playing Cat and Mouse and Lava Monster with my pals. Funny enough, those are games that we played through eighth grade. Back as a tiny kindergartner, even the first graders seemed so big to me. I was so scared of them when they would chant the “Kindergarten Baby” song out on the playground.

My sister, Galen, started Kindergarten here when I was just a year old. I can’t remember that far back, but I know Villa has been another family for me almost since I was born. Ages one through fourteen are pivotal years in an individual’s life. My Villa peers and I experienced our fair share of trials and tribulations both personally and scholastically during our elementary and middle school years. However, because of Villa’s community, not once did I feel like I was alone. My teachers at Villa are some of the best ones I’ve had. I derived my passion for the French language from Villa, where Madame Joulain would create engaging games with prizes, songs, and dances to help stimulate our learning. I started writing my first novel at Villa. Although I never finished the book, as lengthy as it was, I remember my seventh grade Language Arts teacher, Mrs. Taylor,  being so encouraging and patiently leafing through and editing the superfluous writing. Even later on, when I was in high school and college, I felt that Villa was a second home for me and I frequently came back to visit. Mrs. Smith, my eighth grade science teacher, always welcomed me back like I was an old family friend. Being more artistically minded, I didn’t pursue math or science in college, but some of my Villa classmates and friends attribute their success in medical school to Mrs. Smith instilling in them a love for the sciences.

Villa has a special magnetism that constantly draws people back. Since I started working here in September, there have been neighbors, alumni of all ages, and alumni family members and friends who pop in to tour the building and share their stories. It’s not every day that one has such a strong attachment to their Kindergarten through 8th grade school. I think it’s a combination of Villa’s history, scholastics, and general community that make it so special to people of all ages.

-Claire Smith ’03