SSA News
SSA Property Sale
Finalized
Teresa Hernandez('97)
November 14, 2005
 Recently
an article in the Pueblo Chieftain announced the sale of the St.
Scholastica Academy grounds to Octwell, LLC, a Utah limited
liability company. The company plans to spruce up the Academy
facilities, and open a new boarding school serving students age
13-18.
The new school, Royal Peak Academy,
is due to open sometime in the spring of 2006, and will serve
100-200 students from all over the United States. Former president
of Dixie State College, Robert Huddleston, will oversee the school.
The Academy's opening comes as good
news to the area, creating as many as 100 new jobs, and bringing new
life to the beautiful campus.
Dr. Huddleston says Octwell chose 615
Pike Avenue as the new home for Royal Peak because of the ideal
location and well suited facilities. The Canon City campus, located
in the heart of a small Colorado town will likely be preferred by
families living in the Western United States wishing to give their
children the opportunity for a self-paced education while keeping
them closer to home.
The new academy will focus its first
year on the standard curriculum, tailoring the pace to each
student's individual needs. As the school grows, expansion of
extracurricular activities and the addition of sports teams will be
possible. But for now, the administration plans on taking things one
step at a time.
St. Scholastica Academy closed it's
doors in 2001, because of the diminishing number of active Sisters
able to oversee day-to-day operations in Canon City. Since that
time, the furnishings have been sold or donated to various
organizations, and the school's archival material moved to Chicago.
The former Sisters' dormatory (many of you will remember it as the
building with the tile cow mosaic in the entry way) was sold last
year to a different buyer. The three sisters who still live in Canon
City (Sister Amy Campbell, Sister Kathleen McNamara, and Sister Anne
Krall) now rent a small house on the east side of town.
As one might expect, feelings
regarding the sale of the property was mixed. Prioress Sr. Jane
Smith, OSB, gave the following comment to the Canon Daily Record:
"We're delighted Octwell will use the
property for its best and intended use, which is a boarding school.
It is thrilling to think it will benefit some high school children
and it will be a good benefit to the city of Canon City... The
property has been on the market for a long time, so in that sense we
are glad to be able to sell. But since that time, we have been able
to get used to not running the school."
According to Subprioress Sr. Benita
Coffey, OSB, the general feeling among the Sisters is one of relief.
Seeing to the upkeep and security of the empty property had been a
financial strain, and the sisters in Chicago are glad they no longer
need to worry.
"The decisions about the closing and
the sale were made by all of us Sisters together after prayer and
discussion where we reached consensus that this was the best things
for us to do," said Sr. Benita, "So I don't think there is anyone
who is sorry to see the sale finalized, though, of course, there is
some sadness, especially, I feel sure, among those who were
graduates themselves (we have seven SSA Canon graduates still among
us, many more are deceased) and those who ministered there over the
years."
While it is sad to see the Academy,
which many of us still regard as "ours" changing hands from the
Benedictine Sisters to another organization, news of the sale is
still welcome. Many former students who live in the area have
remarked on how unsettling it is to see the school empty.
The buildings of SSA still seem to
echo with the memories of school years past, and always will. Now,
after a 5 year hiatus, the hallways will begin to gather new
memories. The SSA Alumnae Network wishes Dr. Huddleston and the
Royal Peak Academy all of the joy and success SSA enjoyed during its
111 year history.
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