In 1960 a permanent school was completed that consisted of two buildings, each with the capability of hosting 8 classrooms. This meant that St. Albert’s could now have two of every class – two 1st grade classes, two 2nd grade classes, etc. On the day the cornerstone was laid, the flag flew high in the warm late summer sky as a huge dedication ceremony began. The children of St. Albert’s (now first grade through fourth grade) lined the grounds as Fr. Deplaunty led a procession to bless the newly constructed buildings. Once the blessing was complete, Fr. Deplaunty placed a crucifix on a stand that would remain their throughout the existence of the new school. The two new school buildings would eventually become known as the “The Junior Building” & “The Senior Building” … but not right away.
After the dedication ceremony the students were moved from the Church Crying Room into what would later be known as “The Junior Building” but that name would not happen right away. It seems that Father DePlaunty caught two of the fourth graders, one a girl and one a boy, talking in the hallway. Father DePlaunty asked the students “Would you like me to marry you now?” in a harsh tone. The students of St. Albert’s were then separated by gender not only into two different classes, but two different buildings. From that moment the future “Junior Building” would be known as the “Boys Building” and the future “Senior Building” would be known as … you guessed it, the “Girls Building”.
The classes would remain separated by gender for the next several years. That first grade class that began with boys and girls together in the Sacristy of the Pardee School Church in 1956/57 would not be reunited with their classmates of opposite gender until their graduation photo four years later in 1964.
Once the gender segregation ended, the buildings then became known as “The Junior Building” and “The Senior Building”. The first room when entering “The Junior Building” was the Principal’s office (a place many little friends knew all too well), while the first room when entering “The Senior Building” building was the library. A covered breezeway connected the two buildings with the statue of St. Albert the Great in between the two buildings.
