Founding as a Military School

Hawaiian princes David Kawānanakoa, Edward Abnel Keliʻiahonui and Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole in their cadet uniforms.

The day school was founded in 1865 and was previously a military boarding school for boys known as Saint Matthew's Hall or Saint Matthew's School,^[6] established as an "English and Classical School for Boys".^[7] Military discipline was rigorously maintained - students were required to wear military style uniforms, marched between locations at the school and were awakened by bugle.^[8] Starting in 1872, military instructors of military academies were required to be commissioned Majors in the National Guard,^[9] ensuring that military schools maintained adequate discipline. In the early years of the military school, students, called cadets, were equipped with rifles and a cannon (a Parrott field gun) and conducted military field training.^[10] Approximately 3,000 young men graduated from Saint Matthew's Hall before its closure. The military school was prestigious, and graduation guaranteed acceptance to the University of California at Berkeley and Stanford.^[8] It was so successful that several similar military-style schools opened in the surrounding area.^[8] In the early 1890s, Reverend Brewer decided that the military school required more room and moved to Hillsborough,^[11] where it remained until it closure in 1915.^[12]

David Kawānanakoa, a nephew of Hawaiian King David Kalākaua, attended the academy from 1884 to 1887.^[13][2] While studying there Kawānanakoa, and his younger brothers, Edward Abnel Keliʻiahonui and Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, are credited with introducing surfing to the United States.^[14][15][16]

St. Margaret's School for Girls

After the military school moved to Hillsborough, Reverend George Wallace reopened the buildings at the day school's current location on Baldwin Avenue as St. Margaret's School for girls, which continued operation until 1892.^[11]

Establishment of Current Day School

The current form of day school was founded in 1953 by the Sisters of the Community of the Transfiguration, an order of Episcopal nuns from Ohio under rector Lesley Wilder Jr. The day school initially included nursery and pre-nursery classes before adding additional classes to become a nursery through 8th grade school in 1963.^[17] The day school completed a $21 million building project in 2015 that increased its building space by 27,000 square feet, adding classroom space and allowing it to double its classes from one class per grade level to two.^[17] Although the school exists within the Episcopal Church, students are not required to ascribe to any religion, and only about 15% are Episcopalian.^[3] Sexual abuse crisis

Notable alumni

• Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana'ole - fifth in the line of in succession to the Hawaiian throne
• David Kawananakoa - third in the line of in succession to the Hawaiian throne
• Edward Keliiahonui - fourth in the line of in succession to the Hawaiian throne
• John F. Madden, U.S. Army brigadier general^[18][19]
• Lincoln Steffens - later a celebrated writer, who was frequently disciplined by Brewer

Background

In 2017, the day school experienced a child sexual abuse crisis when one of its pre-school teachers created hundreds of pornographic images and videos of day school students.^[20] The teacher targeted as many as 20^[21] five to eight year old students. The illegal pictures and videos were taken during school hours in the pre-school and in the school's after-care program.^[22] The teacher acknowledged using the pictures for sexual gratification as part of a bondage fetish.^[23] The teacher pled guilty (no contest) to 5 felony charges and was sentenced to 6 years in prison.^[22] The case resulted in a number of claims and lawsuits filed against the day school, Head of School Julie Galles and St. Matthew's Episcopal Church^[24][25] and resulted in a great deal of negative publicity for the school.^[20]

The California Department of Social Services also found that the day school committed licensing violations as a result of the incidents.

Efforts to Remove Judge

In addition to the very large number of children targeted, the case was notable because of the San Mateo District Attorney's efforts to remove the judge, Judge Donald Ayoob, from the case (as well as two other cases being heard by Judge Ayoob), because of perceptions that the judge was too lenient on sex abuse perpetrators^[26] and would not take the case seriously.^[27] Judge Ayoob had sentenced prior perpetrators to a year in county jail rather than state prison as requested by prosecutors including a perpetrator^[26] who possessed thousands of pornographic images and videos.^[28] Prosecutors did not file paperwork requesting the removal in time, and another judge refused to remove Ayoob. After the case of Brock Turner, who received a 6 month sentence for raping a Stanford University Student,^[28] generating such public outcry over the leniency of the sentence that the judge in the case was recalled and removed as a judge,^[29] the prosecutors' effort to remove the judge reflected prosecutors' determination to ensure that sexual abuse cases are taken seriously, but raised questions of whether prosecutors were trying to politicize cases or influence the outcome by generating a "mob mentality".^[28] Although the judge was not removed, the sentence of six years was significantly more severe than Judge Ayoob had given to other perpetrators, and the general perception was that the effort to have these cases taken seriously was, at least in this case, effective.