Stories For A Century

from 100 Years: Voices and Memories Through the Decades
(Rectory School's Centennial publication)

The location of the Rectory School dining hall has changed throughout the century. Yet, the lessons learned around its tables remain: treat others with respect, partake in polite conversation, exhibit proper manners, and for goodness’ sake, wash your hands before you sit down to eat!

 

However, not all the early dining hall rules survived the test of time.

On a shelf in the Rectory Archives sits a black cardboard three-ring binder of typewritten pages filled with sets of rules for "Rectory School Boys." The first line of the first page states, "Perfect honesty at all times is the first rule at Rectory." Covering expectations from outdoor clothing and fountain pens to classes, athletics, and corridor (dormitory) life, an entire section of rules applies to table manners.

 

Here are the dining hall rules from 1935!

 

 

Many students remember fondly when select students as waiters, proudly donning white jackets, carried trays of food, served in large bowls, from the kitchen hatch to the tables to be served “family-style.” This job came with the privileges of eating earlier than the others and possibly extra dessert.

“The dining hall was probably my favorite place on campus. You would sit at a table with your friends and faculty to just eat and talk about whatever you wanted to talk about. The sense of community Rectory has was felt most when sitting around at the dining hall. Some of my favorite memories happened there.” 
—Clayton LeBlanc ’93

Whether it’s used for the annual elementary school gingerbread house extravaganza, the Rectory Parents Association’s Lunar New Year luncheon (with hundreds of handmade dumplings), or baking and BBQ competitions, the dining hall remains a place for the Rectory community to gather.

Images:  Rectory Archives, Dining Hall by Chip Riegel, 2013; poster graphic by Elizabeth Zimmermann, 2023, for 100 Years.

100 Years: Voices and Memories Through the Decades is available at https://www.rectoryschool.org/100th-anniversary/centennial-publication