Tiny, apple-cheeked Sister Mary Agnes cast her eyes down as the hulking figure of Charles de Gaulle stooped to pin a memento on her collar.
The President of France and war hero was honoring the diminutive nun with the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor medal for her many decades of teaching French at the school Notre Dame des Victoires in San Francisco.
That was in 1960.
This year, on Jan. 12, the elementary and middle school celebrated its centenary on the same steps of San Francisco City Hall, where the choir had assembled to sing for de Gaulle so many years ago.
San Francisco’s French community, students, alumni, parents and teachers were in force. Principal Sarah Currier reported that 400 arrived to celebrate the school of 275 students.
Mayor London Breed said at the event, “It is a joy and an honor to have you here, the students, teachers and parents, to celebrate 100 years of this amazing institution in San Francisco.”
École Notre Dame des Victoires, established in 1924, supported the French colony and educated a wide swath of children from many cultures.
Each student graduates with a solid facility in the French language, according to Principal Currier.
Its esteem was such that throughout its years, it welcomed visits from luminaries such as Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, Maurice Chevalier and Daniel Handler, author of the Lemony Snicket series. Among its alumni is Gov. Gavin Newsom.
It stands on Pine Street back-to-back with the Church Notre Dame Victoires on Bush Street. Two Marist fathers founded it in 1856.
At the centennial ceremony, wearing sailor suit uniforms, the students were grouped by year, the youngest at the base of the staircase and the alumnae of the former high school at the top. (The high school closed in 1970.) They sang their little Gallic hearts out for the lovers of French culture who thronged in the central hall and the balconies around it: “Douce France” in French and “God Bless America” in English.
Consul General Frédéric Jung added, “What an inspiration to see the French community out in force to celebrate the first French school in San Francisco. Of course, now there are several other French schools here, but this one will remain the standard and a testament to the French community.”
On Jan. 14, the actual anniversary, Currier spoke at mass at the Bush Street church. Asked how the school had maintained its relationship to the French culture for so many years—given that its students hail from so many different countries and cultures—Currier said, “The people who came here 100 years ago had us in mind and they strove to create a strong community.”
She asserted that the school and the Church have endeavored to maintain and expand their relationships with French culture despite changing times.
In December 2023, French President Emmanuel Macron wrote his thanks to Currier for her invitation to visit the school for its centenary celebration. He did not attend but wrote (in French), “Your school is a model of the friendship between France and the United States. You are helping to support France and its many riches across the Atlantic.”