| Our History
Our 1912 building is a beautiful piece of historical significance attesting to the fact that for over 100 years St. Boniface has offered an outstanding educational experience. We are proud that the quality of the education and the strength of the moral foundation offered has never wavered and has evolved to incorporate the commitment to prepare our students with 21st century skills.
According to the Historical Committee`s 1969 - 100 year celebration document, the first school was built in 1871 and was run by the Ursuline Sisters, Sisters of the Precious Blood, Sisters of St. Dominic, and the Poor Hand Maids of Jesus Christ as well as some individual teachers in the late 1800`s and through the mid 1900`s.
Members of the building committee took the best qualities of the schools in St. Louis and Illinois and decided to place the new building on the plat of ground north of the rectory. Nine sealed bids for construction of the new school were opened in a public meeting. Albert Fahrig was awarded the contract, M. Desmond Manufacturing Co., wiring and plumbing. Louis Wessbecher of St. Louis was the architect. The basement was used for the dining room, kitchen and play rooms. Four rooms on the ground floor easily accommodated 200 pupils. The second floor was an auditorium with a seating capacity of 600 including the balcony and a stage for entertaining. The building was completed and dedicated on January 12, 1913. Blessing of the structure was performed by Father Metzler, after which everyone was permitted to enter the building. Speeches were given in English and German. The pastor related the 11 month history of the construction. The pupils made their debut that evening in the hall, which was filled to capacity. On several other occasions the hall was filled by audiences attending many plays over the years. The first play put on by the drama club was "The Merry Cobbler".
Father Eckhard became pastor on May 28, 1919, during his tenure he started the St. Boniface band in 1936 and he started a bowling alley in the basement where the kitchen had been and the kindergarten room is currently. In the 1950`s the building was renovated and in 1985 the Parish Center was added on to the building - this center houses the school gym, kitchen, and offices for various personnel. As part of Project 2000, a new pre-school building was constructed to continue offering an outstanding program for 3 and 4 year olds.
In 2004 it was decided that the building, though nearly a century old, was of sound construction. The Building Committee began a renovation plan which included an extensive updating of all classrooms, restrooms, and hallways within the school. This included an extensive upgrade of our technology program. We expanded our computer lab with 30 new IBM computers, installed SMART Board technology for grades 5-8, established networking capability throughout the school, and expanded the breadth and depth of the computer curriculum and related software programs. The Parish community is committed to further renovations and changes to continue to meet the needs of offering an outstanding educational environment for our students.
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