Valley loses by not supporting Priory Valley loses by not supporting Priory (May 26, 2004)

By Lindsay Farino

As a Woodside Priory parent and former resident of Portola Valley, I was happy to read in the May 12 Almanac that open minds have prevailed in regard to this summer's Benedictine Youth Congress to be held at the Priory.

As a Phillips Brooks School parent, I was disappointed in the Priory's decision to bow to Portola Valley pressure and not allow the PBS family carnival fundraiser to take place on the Priory campus, as planned. To me, Portola Valley has the heart of a true rural community only when it opens up its mind and embraces all the communities within it. A true rural community understands it does not have borders to keep out people other than what a few define as an "official resident;" a true rural community understands and embraces its part within its larger community.

The Phillips Brooks School event was alluded to again in the same article. My children and I are a part of Woodside Priory, Phillips Brooks and, until very recently, Portola Valley. Why are my family and many other families like me not considered enough of a part of Portola Valley's community to attend a well-planned event on one of our school's private campuses?

Are lollipop trees and pie-eating contests so threatening? As a former resident, I do know that the residents of Portola Valley do come down from their homes to attend schools and events in surrounding towns. I know they are welcomed and embraced when they venture out; why are we not embraced when we venture in?

Where I grew up, all the educational institutions, both public and private, were embraced. My rural community was excited when an event was held at one of its schools; to put it bluntly, it made all of our lives more interesting. In my rural community, a larger than normal group of cars parked together meant something meaningful, exciting or just plain fun was going on. We were proud and we were excited; we were truly alive. We never counted the cars.

I hope and trust Portola Valley will continue to open its minds and embrace Woodside Priory as the school builds towards its future. In addition, Woodside Priory is about to embark on a well-conceived plan to update and somewhat expand its facilities to meet the needs of its students for the 21st Century. The same thing many schools (both public and private) in the area have recently completed. I hope and trust the leadership of Portola Valley will continue to open their minds and embrace the Priory as it builds toward its future.

When the town administration looks past the perceived importance of the number of cars and supports the future of a vital Portola Valley institution and its very few, but important larger events, Portola Valley will have shown the heart of a true rural community. Right now, in my view, Portola Valley could be struggling with the heart of a suburb.

Lindsay Farino lives in Menlo Park.

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