A century and a half ago, the area around St. Andrew’s Priory was a muddy taro patch. But through the efforts of Queen Emma, Hawaii’s first school for girls opened there 150 years ago this past week.

On May 30, 1867 — on the Feast of Ascension — a dedication ceremony was held. The school was small: one classroom, a dormitory and dining room. A tall coral cross stood in the courtyard. The original 11 boarding pupils, if they could afford it, paid $100 a year for room and board. A few day pupils were enrolled as well.

In past columns, I’ve written about how all the isles’ royalty, except Kamehameha II, who died young, left an organization that is still around today serving the people of Hawaii. Separately and together, King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma left us four.

In 1859, they founded The Queen’s Hospital. They patronized St. Alban’s School for Boys, now named ‘Iolani School, in 1863. (‘Iolani was one of King Kamehameha IV’s middle names.) In 1867, Queen Emma opened St. Andrew’s Cathedral and St. Andrew’s Priory school for girls.

It was a busy decade for Queen Emma, who lost her son, Albert, in 1862 and her husband a year later. The motto she gave the Priory — “strive for the highest” — was certainly applicable to her life as well.

Queen Emma was concerned about the educational needs of the young women of Hawaii. Her mission of establishing a girls’ school in Honolulu took her to England to see Queen Victoria and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Under his authority, the Sisters of the Church of England ventured around the globe to begin their work.

Queen Emma named the church and school after St. Andrew because her husband died on his feast day. Andrew was the first of Jesus’ 12 apostles and was the brother of Peter.

Andrew was crucified in Greece around 64 A.D. on an X-shaped cross, the form of which became known as St. Andrew’s Cross. In the eighth century, he became the patron saint of Scotland. A white cross on a blue field is the national flag of Scotland. His cross can also be found on Hawaii’s flag along with the crosses of St. George and St. Patrick.

TIES TO ENGLAND

I’ve wondered why the church and school were originally connected to the Anglican Church of England rather than the Congregational U.S. missionaries or French Catholics, who had been in the islands for decades.

Belinda Chung, a college counselor at St. Andrew’s Priory, said there are several reasons. First, Queen Emma’s hanai father, Thomas Rooke, was from England and was of the Anglican faith.

Second, Hawaii’s monarchs were very close to Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 until 1901.

Head of School Ruth Fletcher said that when Queen Emma went to England she was treated very well.

“Her skin color and her language and her presence were readily accepted and people were genuinely nice to her. She was treated as an equal,” she said.

LIFELONG FRIENDSHIPS

Journalist Ian Lind said his grandmother and her sister both went to St. Andrew’s Priory in the fall of 1891. Lind said his grandmother, Heleualani Cathcart, was not quite 3 years old, and her sister, Helen, was just a year old when they entered The Priory.

“Their father somehow arranged for a nursemaid, and the girls were raised by the English nuns. My grandmother lived at The Priory until she married in 1911,” Lind said. She later became a teacher.

Years later, Lind’s grandmother was given an album of photos collected by Abby Stuart Marsh, a former head of the school who had been her mentor. The photos were passed down through the generations in Lind’s family. One of the photos, dating back as far as the 1890s, accompanies this column.

Lind said two girls that his grandmother and great aunt went to school with remained close lifelong friends. Their mother had been a lady-in-waiting to Queen Liliu‘okalani. Today, the former classmates are all buried in adjacent plots at Nuuanu Cemetery, demonstrating the bonds of friendship fostered by the Priory.

QUEEN’S VISION

Chung is retiring after working at the Priory for 45 years. She was there for seven years before that as a student.

“Like Ian Lind’s grandmother, I practically grew up here,” Chung said. “I’m the college counselor. I’ve sent girls off to college for 27 years. Fewer than 10 graduates in 27 years didn’t go to college. It’s a college-going culture. We assume everyone will be going.”

Fletcher said it was Queen Emma’s transformational thinking and her vision that led her to found a hospital, church and two schools.

“Back then, girls were not being provided with an education unless (they were) daughters of alii or missionaries, and the queen felt that was a need that our society had,” Fletcher said. “She brought the Anglican church here because it helped her get through difficult times in her own life and she thought it would help others as well.

“She brought in these pillars of society that would be for the betterment of future generations.”

The king and queen exemplified leadership and persistence, Fletcher said. They didn’t give up when the going got tough. They didn’t give up when the Legislature OK’d a hospital but didn’t have the money for it.

Instead, the monarchs went door-to-door to raise the money. Queen Emma also went around the English countryside asking nobility for funds to help build schools in Hawaii, and they obliged.

“She didn’t give up when money was a problem. She kept pushing. She was persistent. We hope our girls will have similar persistence in their own lives. It’s one of our core values at St. Andrew’s Priory.”

NOW THREE SCHOOLS

In 1902, jurisdiction of St. Andrew’s Priory School was transferred to the U.S. Episcopal Church. In 1976, the Priory became a nonprofit corporation while continuing its official link with the Episcopal Diocese of Hawai‘i, although it does not receive any financial support for operations from the church.

St. Andrew’s Schools comprises three schools now.

One is called the Priory, the original all-girls school, serving grades K-12. The second is St. Andrew’s Preparatory School for Boys, which was opened in 2014 as an all-boys school for grades K-5 and operates separately on the campus of the Priory.

The third school is coed Queen Emma Preschool on Pali Highway.

Congratulations to all students and staff of these schools for reaching the 150th-year milestone, and for sustaining the educational legacy of King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma.

Bob Sigall, author of “The Companies We Keep” series of books, looks through his collection of old photos to tell stories of Hawaii people, places and companies. Contact him via email at sigall@yahoo.com.