Honors Capstone
The Garden School
by Rubi Rodriguez-Calderon
The Garden School was opened on September 4, 1946, by Sister Patricia, when our school was still known as Dominican College. The school was housed in Edgehill Mansion in what we all now know as The Garden Room, a name that commemorates its history. The layout of Edgehill is for the most part the same today as it was when the Garden School was open, but each room has its own history. The glassed in porch part of the building served as the prekindergarten class. The mansion’s pantry was used as workroom and the large storage areas were occupied with stored class materials. The living room was used for special school events attended by the parents, and the chapel as we know it today was a library where the children would say their daily morning prayers.
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The Garden School had two departments, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, both with the purpose of, “fostering the spiritual, emotional, social, and physical development.” The curriculum consisted of religion, reading, mathematics, computer training, music, literature, poetry, games, simple dances, and art. This curriculum found in Dominican University’s archives was not dated, and it is unclear whether or not it was the curriculum the entire time. Regardless, the Garden School’s goal was to foster the development of each child as a unique individual, and develop their character with self-discipline. The school strongly believed that music and art played a major role in the intellectual and emotional life of the child.
Edgehill Mansion, 1946. (Photograph obtained from Dominican University of California Archives, San Rafael, CA.)
Kindergarten students participating in class, 1948. (Photograph obtained from Dominican University of California Archives, San Rafael, CA.)
Santa Claus at the Annual Christmas Party, 1963. (Photograph obtained from Dominican University of California Archives, San Rafael, CA.)
The Garden School was a close knit community with active participation of parents and community members. Every year they had their annual Christmas Program and parties. They were performances done by the children, some in the choir, and other acting as angels. These events brought the community together, which, to me, is an important aspect of Dominican University to this present day. Our close community still practices traditions like these, such as the annual Christmas lighting that is done in front of Angelico. Community is a big part of Dominican and it is evident that it is something that has always been prized.
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In June 1986, the Garden School relocated because the building was declared unsafe for living. On its 40th year it moved adjacently to Edgehill, in a building that consisted of two large classrooms, a chapel, two workshops, and three decks leading to the playground, one specifically made for the handicap. At the time when the school relocated, there were 46 students enrolled,following the same curriculum that was practiced in Edgehill. Unfortunately this relocation would not persist as the program came to an end on Dominican’s campus, but it's curriculum lived on and was passed to its successor Saint Raphael’s School.
The Garden School’s relocation adjacent to Edgehill, 1986. (Photograph obtained from Dominican University of California Archives, San Rafael, CA.)