HISTORY OF RESURRECTION SCHOOL

On December 18, 1929, Archbishop Glennon commissioned Father Dreher to organize a new parish. Father Dreher had two concerns, the site of the new school and a prospective teaching staff. After the Sisters of Charity committed to teaching at the new Resurrection school he began looking for a suitable site for the future erection of both the church and the school. He choose the location on which the school building currently stands, on Meramec and Hydraulic. Since the building was built during a time of economic hardship in the community, the plan was to build one building that would house the Church, school, convent and rectory. The Sisters would live in the small cramped quarters in the basement, next to the parish "bowling alley" and the two priests would live in two small rooms just outside of the Church, on the third floor. By the fall of 1931, the building was completed and the sisters and priests were ready to begin a new parish.

On September 8, 1931 the school opened its doors for the first time. A previous survey indicated that one hundred twenty pupils could be expected, and preparations for that many had been made. But on opening morning two hundred twenty-one bright, eager pupils showed up for school. Temporarily the children were place wherever there was any kind of seat available. To accommodate the extra children, after dismissal, the janitor and the older boys carried desks from storage in the attic to the classrooms.

In three years the enrollment of pupils rose from two hundred twenty nine to three hundred eighty-five. It was at this time that Father Dreher, at the suggestion that Archbishop Glennon, purchased the two-story red brick building adjoining the school playground. After renovations had been made, the sisters moved in on July 1, 1935. Since the growth of the school included the need for more sisters, in the spring of 1942 Father Dreher had an addition built on the south side of the convent. The original living quarters of the sisters was converted into more classrooms.

Ten years passed and the school enrollment increased to four hundred sixty. This brought about the need for additional sisters and again the expansion of the convent facilities. On December 10, 1952, groundbreaking ceremonies took place for the new convent, church and rectory building. This combination building would be located on the corner of Meramec and Hydraulic. The building project took a year to complete. On December 29, 1953 the movers transferred the sisters' furniture and other belongings to the new convent. The priests were able to move from the school building into the new rectory and their quarters were converted into classrooms. The Church that had been on the second floor was converted into a gym and theater for the school's use.

Ten years later the bowling alley that was in the basement was converted to a school and church community cafeteria. It has served as a lunchroom for the students and has also served as the site for fish fries, barbecues and pig roasts. These activities continue to build community in the parish and raise money to support of the school.

Beginning in the early 1980's the parish numbers had begun to drop as the movement of the people from the city to the suburbs was in full swing. The student enrollment dropped to around 250 students, which fit the use of the building in a much more comfortable manner. By now the parish school was a standard barer of the south side community. Thousands of students had graduated from Resurrection, which insured the continuation of the school and parish community implementing needed changes.

Currently, Resurrection's student body reflects the community as it is today. American children along with their neighbors from Bosnia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, attend school side by side in a learning environment that offers growth and learning. The sharing of each other's cultural, racial and religious backgrounds enriches all of the children. Resurrection is proud to be a strong focal point of the south side and looks forward to producing future graduates that will keep America strong.