One distinguishing feature that makes Chaminade unique is its resident program. Although the majority of today’s students are day students, the student body consisted only of boarders when the school opened in 1910. On the fourth floor of Chaminade Hall, one could find students that lived in the rural farming communities of Missouri or Illinois.

However, even in the earliest days there were students from Mexico. As the school grew, so did the number of resident students. In 1957, the Canning Hall dormitory was built to house the ever-growing population. The senior students, on the other hand, resided in Waldron Hall which used to be where the Skip Viragh Center sits today. As cities grew and transportation became easier, the dorm population transitioned from mostly local students to mainly international students by the early 2000s. 

As the school grew and changed, so did the interests of the resident students. Originally, most of the students spent their free time doing work on campus. The school was considered far from the city center at the time, and therefore, it was often unreasonable to take the students off campus. As day students came to the school, the dormers would often choose to spend their weekends with them. Today, there are always events planned on the weekends. In the winter, the resident students drive to Hidden Valley for some snow skiing. In the spring, they fill their afternoons with outings like Cardinals games and race car driving at Victory Raceway. Other activities include paintball wars and watching movies. Current sophomore resident student Thomas An (‘26) said that he enjoys “kayaking with the other dorm students because it is an exciting activity and lots of fun.” 

Many Chaminade alumni have gone on to accomplish great things, some of whom called Chaminade their home while living in the dorms. One example was Roberto Garza Sada. Roberto graduated from Chaminade in 1942 and went on to join his family as a businessman. In addition, he was a patron of one of the wealthiest families in Mexico. Another alumni was William Constantine. William graduated in 1952 and joined the Air Force. In 1978, he was assigned as an executive to the Air Force Chief of Staff. More recently, in 2004, Minkyu Lee graduated from Chaminade. He became an Academy Award winning director in 2013 for the best animated short film. 

The resident students have been a defining feature of the history of Chaminade. Today, the biggest challenge in the resident program has been building the new dormitory. However, even with the fundraising slowdown during the pandemic, Dr. Guidry has continued to work hard to restart the campaign and get construction underway. 

Special thanks to Mr. Jim Chrismer (’85) Resident Director, for his contribution to this article.