Saint-Pierre School (École Saint-Pierre), known as the French School, where the children of John and Mary Sicotte learned "Parisian" French.Ed remembers: There were 8 grades plus a kindergarten in the red brick building on School Street. There was no high school. Most graduates went either to St. Mary's High, St. Charles High or Waltham High (a public school.) Therese went to Waltham High.
Ecole St. Pierre was located on the church property of Eglise St. Joseph at the East End of School Street in Waltham, MA. A convent to house the nuns that operated the school was on the same property adjacent to the school.
ReplyDeleteThe school had only grades 1 through 8 and no kindergarten during the years I attended (1945-1953). It was staffed completely by the nuns and had no "lay" teachers or assistants.
The school building was torn down in the 1980's and no longer exists.
1.) There were grades 1-8 at Ecole St. Pierre. There was no kindergarden during the years 1945-1953 that I attended.
ReplyDelete2) The nuns ran a “tight ship” there and were backed by the parish pastor. The rules were fair but strictly enforced. Students had to “toe the mark”.
3.) The nuns seem to favor the boys and gave them a little more slack than the girls. Why that was is not clear.
4.) There were many public schools as well as two additional parochial schools in Waltham covering the 1-8 grades.
5.) The education was very good at St. Pierre’s. They had classes in religion as well as the French language. They made us do our homework and got tough with anyone who was a slacker or was not being serious in class.
6.) Anyone who graduated Ecole St. Pierre fit in well at public or parochial schools. There was no such thing as not having good enough grades to go on to another school in Waltham. None of my classmates had any difficulties in other Waltham schools.