In 1911 Bishop Wells secured additional funds for the purchase of the Sharpstein property adjoining the school grounds to allow for expansion in the near future. The acquisition of this fine property 200 feet by 200 feet gave the school a frontage of 543 feet on Catherine Street, one of the finest pieces of property in the city.
In 1916, Bishop Herman Page, of Spokane, succeeded Bishop Wells as president of the board of trustees; the other members of the board at that time being Rev. C. E. Tuke, George A. Evans, W. A. Ritz, Dr. F. W. Rees, H. G. Thompson, Dr. H. R. Keylor, J. W. Langdon and W. L. Stirling.
The need of increased accommodation for boarders being imperative, Bishop Page undertook to raise the sum of $10,000 to $12,000 for a new building provided $5,000 additional should be subscribed by the people of Walla Walla. This was done and a new fire proof brick building was erected in 1917, containing assembly hall, gymnasium and dormitories, and named "Wells Hall" in honor of Bishop Wells, who had founded the school in 1872 and had ever since been its most constant and devoted supporter. Even with its new equipment the school at once became crowded to its capacity, there being fifty boarders, as well as a large number of day scholars, and plans are being considered for another new building.
Although the school now has an annual budget of nearly twenty thousand dollars, it has never been entirely self-supporting, being without endowment, and always having given the greatest possible service at a very moderate charge. The raising of an adequate endowment fund is contemplated as soon as circumstances will permit.
The school offers a systematic and liberal course of study, maintaining kindergarten, primary, intermediate, grammar, grade, academic and music departments, also special post graduate, business, and finishing courses. The course includes eight years in the elementary school, completed in six or seven years when possible, and four years in the academic department. There is also an advanced course offered for irregular students and for those graduated from the high schools and academies.
The instructors are Christian women, and it is the aim of the school to administer to the individual needs of girls; to aid in their moral, intellectual and physical development by offering them the advantages of a well ordered school and the wholesome influence of a refined home. The scholarship of Saint Paul's is attested by the fact that Eastern and Western examiners of leading educational institutions have expressed their willingness to accept its graduates without examination. Saint Paul's covers a wide field, having had among its boarders in recent years scholars from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Panama and Alaska.
The location of the school is exceptionally fine, the grounds extensive, well laid out and shaded, and the buildings, four in number, are spacious, well constructed and conveniently arranged and equipped.
THE CATHOLIC ACADEMIES
The Catholic Church has maintained two academies, one for boys and one for girls, for a number of years. These were founded early in the history of Walla Walla. In 1864 the Sisters of Providence opened the doors of a school for girls on the location where St. Mary's Hospital now stands. Rev. J. B. A. Brouillet was at that time at the head of the local church and the school was officially under his oversight. In 1865 St. Patrick's Academy for boys was opened. This was on the site of the present Catholic Church, and the first teacher was H. H. Lamarche. He acted as principal for fifteen years. In 1899 notable changes occurred in the academy. In that year fine and noteworthy exercises in its dedication occurred under charge of Rev. Father M. Flohr. The presence of Bishop E. J. O'Dea added to the interest of the occasion. In August following three brothers from San Francisco arrived to take charge of the academy. In honor of St. J. B. De La Salle, founder of the congregation to which those brothers belonged, the name of the academy was changed to De La Salle Institute. It opened in September, 1899, with 100 pupils. The numbers and influence of this institute have steadily increased. The teachers at the present are: Brother Luke, director; Brothers Damien and Daniel, teachers. The number of boys enrolled is eighty.
The school for girls, founded in 1864, as stated, developed into St. Vincent Academy, and as such it has occupied a position of great influence and usefulness ever since its foundation. Every facility for academic study, with special attention to the varied accomplishments of music, drawing, painting, and decorative work, as well as the practical branches in needle work, in stenography, and in typewriting, is afforded by St. Vincent's Academy. Extracts from the current reports indicate the present conditions.