Ralf Brooks' Villa St.-Jean Remembrances 1963-1965

My Student Identification Card for Villa Saint Jean International School 1964- 1965

Villa Saint-Jean International School; Fribourg, Switzerland

In the fall of 1964 I entered my second year ad a student at Villa Saint Jean International (Boarding) School for boys.

I was enrolled in the 8^th grade.

For the first week and a half I stayed in a single room in the top floor of the Sapinière residence. I thought I was in heaven.

Then the other shoe dropped, and we were told that there were too many boys in Sapinière, and all of the 7^th and 8^th graders were moving to the dorm in Ormes. Talk about a blow to the gut -- I tried to think of ways that I might be left behind, but they had everyone of us numbered and I was quickly marched over to Ormes -- and in a dorm no less. Disappointment does not adequately describe my mood.

1964 - 1965 Le Chamois Yearbook

In my opinion, the 1964-1965 Chamois Yearbook was not as good as the 1963-1964 version. Fewer pictures -- especially of the Underclassmen, the quality of the pictures (at least in the yearbook reproduction) seemed poorer, and instead of printing the full names of the students -- for rembrance years later -- they inserted (for the second class) Underclassmen an initial for the first name -- R. Brooks etc. A number of small things like that made the yearbook, in my opinion, not as good as the previous years.
Nevertheless its still good to glance through the pictures and remember the friends and shared experiences.

Section: DEDICATION and FACULTY

The two remembrances I have of the service staff, are a) Joseph who became a lot more visible for some reason in my second year and I remember him as a friendly sort always saying hello; as well b) I remember the Sisters in the sick bay on the 2nd floor above Brother Moran's office -- a rare fight broke out in a classroom in Gallia Hall with two students throwing desks at each other -- no joke -- I was a bystander -- obviously standing too close when an errant desk edge entered the flesh of my lower leg -- requiring me to be rushed to a clinic in Fribourg where I got 12 stitches and spent the next 2 days recovering in the VSJ sick bay area. Walked with crutches for the next 1.5 weeks. The Brothers must have had an interesting conversation with my parents to explain what had happened!

Ralf Brooks' Villa Saint-Jean Remembrances 1963-1965