Oregon Episcopal School history

1872 The five students of the first graduating class of St Helen's Hall finish their studies.

1890 Twelve lots, bordered by Vista Avenue, St Clair, Main, and Park Streets, are purchased as a new site for St Helen's Hall.

1896 Miss Mary Burton Rodney, the principal of St Helen's Hall, dies at the age of 62.

1904 The Sisters of St John Baptist come from New York to take over as directors of St Helen's Hall.

1914 Fire sweeps the School at its Vista-St Clair address.

1921 The Board of Trustees decides to purchase the 13th and Hall property.

1924 An official school uniform is required for all students for the first time.

1930 Everglade, a house on Lake Oswego, is purchased to be used for recreational activities for the girls from the Hall.

1932 St Helen's Hall Junior College is opened as the first accredited junior college in Oregon.

1944 The Sisters of St John Baptist leave St Helen's Hall and return to the East Coast, telling Bishop Dagwell that "…the shortage of Sisters and the work in the East make it necessary."

Classes include swimming, diving, lifesaving, boating, and canoeing. (Everglade was later sold, in 1950, to The Rev.

The school moved several times during its first century to different locations in downtown Portland. It was located at 13th and Hall Streets before moving to its present location in Raleigh Hills in 1964.

In 1972, St Helen's Hall merged with Bishop Dagwell Hall, an all-boys school, and was renamed Oregon Episcopal School (OES). Over the years, the school has grown in the number of students and in the quality of its facilities.

1986 Mount Hood tragedy claims the lives of seven OES students and two faculty members.

1988 OES acquires the Hampton Courts, a private tennis club, and renames it the Sports and Recreation Center (SPARC).

1996 At the end of October, the entire Middle School moves into a newly constructed facility, Meyer Hall.

1997 Bishop Dagwell Hall, former home to the Middle School, is renovated for the fine arts.

2003 The new Drinkward Center for Math, Science, and Technology is completed.

2005 Renovation of the Upper School building is completed and opens in the fall.

2008 Lower School asphalt playground is transformed to Aardvark Community Park.