Classes were separate, but we shared lunch, activities, and teachers..My Mom was the music teacher..in the morning she taught the Aquinas sophomores at the Sacred Heart original grade school building
in Florissant.

The High school was well designed with innovations in classrooms appropriate to the types of classes and requirements…including a fully equipped darkroom and newspaper meeting room.

I remember paying $125 tuition for my senior year tuition.I was one of the few students driving to school that year, after taking the Riverview and then the Jennings bus each day for three years.

Most students were from a blue collar background.
It was ‘neat’ to be the first class and create traditions..in the mid 60′s Corpus became a Girl’s High school and closed in 1973????

It was then eventually used as a grade school.. the original parish gathering space had a chapel in the basement and hall and stage on the first floor..It was a wooden building in the back of the older church.
The gym was a beauty…vaulted copper roof//huge stage..the bowling alleys on the lower level brought income for the parish…the Kindergarten classrooms at the rear of the gym were bright and airy, nice views of the athletic field.

The older church was very tradional.The Organ in the choir loft was a Wick Pipe Organ, made in Highland, Illinois.

As I recall the older church was closest to the railroad tracks,next the rectory, then the high school….across the parking lot was the Nun”s house adjoining the grade school,along Switzer Ave. The Gym faced Switzer along the back property line.
Th wooden parish hall was “in the middle” of the area..I believe there was a large garage behind the church.
By the early 70′s, the new church was built…probably not needed by that time as there were newer parishes and already a move across to St.Charles.

The Alexian Brothers bought the property a few years ago and converted the church to a facility serving the older adults in North county.

A month ago,the converted church and the boarded-up high school were all that was standing..Construction is starting on apartments for seniors, something direly needed in North county.
The high school will be demolished as the Archdiocese did not maintain the property
and the roofs of both the High School and the Gymnasium were in such bad condition the interiors were severely damaged beyond repair.
The Athletic field is now a drainage/storm water management area.

It is difficult to see the complex that served the parish and community so well over the years.
Hopefully the vision and committment of the Alexians will bring a vibrancy and new life to Corpus Christi, a parish that served and influenced thousand of lives over the years.

The Principal of Corpus Christi High School 1957-1961,Mother Mary Patrick O’Brien died in June,2010 at the Ursuline home in Alton at the age of 87.

Carol Halloran’
Ferguson,Mo

Thanks,
Sharon

There was always too many bars and taverns in Jennings in the ’60 and ’70′s. Alcoholism was rampant and domestic abuse calls common. Cars were vandalized and there were other more serious crimes. Jennings was a lower middle class neighborhood with many problems not some Utopian childhood town. Our kids would fight in the parking lots across from Fairview school but it was just kids being kids now it’s considered horrible. I would have to say that the amount of alcoholism is THE major reason for the downfall of Jennings because alcoholics won’t accept authority (zoning commissions), alcoholics won’t cooperate (they prefer drama and fighting as the norm), alcoholics band together into neighborhoods of similar people cause they can’t stand the ‘rich uppity folk’, alcoholics do function and hold jobs but then have hard time keeping a normal family life.
I’m tired of hearing about how great Jennings was THEN when it’s an illusion. It was built on a house of card zoning system and only had one way to go… down.

On the bright side; Jennings has hit it’s bottom and the diversity of the residents is improving (check the census to verify but I see more whites, Asians and Hispanics than ever) which leads to neighborhood improvement. The number of businesses moving in has increased, Jennings Station Rd project is near completion and the city is slowing condemning and tearing down the badly built homes. Seeing that an African American can be elected president seemed to make the neighborhood more friendly and hopeful over night; there were 700 ppl in line to vote at Woodland at 5:30am Nov 2008. Like the guy said above, you ppl that ran cause you couldn’t stand seeing one black face, stay away; we don’t want racists. We want ppl who like diverse groups of ppl. We want ppl who like to see a cross section of America in one neighborhood.