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Celebrating 175 of the SHCJ: Sister Spotlight
Did you know we had sheep living on campus in the 1970s? They were not a student project, nor temporary boarders. The sheep, Alfalfa and Timothy, were surprise gifts for science teacher and Holy Child sister, Lucy Malarkey.
Sr. Lucy Malarkey, SHCJ (d. 2017) taught science at Mayfield Junior School for twelve years from 1960 – 1972. From the mysterious horse skeleton in the Junior building and our resident school sheep, Alfalfa and Timothy, to the first chicken project and creative photography and poetry classes, she brought character to the campus and encouraged wonder and discovery in her students. In 2009, Sr. Lucy was a guest teacher in fifth grade science classes, and participated in the 200th Birthday celebration for Cornelia Connelly. She also served on Mayfield Junior School’s Board of Trustees three times, most recently from 2006-2010. As a trustee, she not only offered wise insight and guidance from the Society’s perspective, but also a deep historic and personal commitment to the school’s past and to its future. Sr. Lucy’s warmth, and passion for teaching and learning inspired many Mayfield graduates.
During the 2008-09 celebration of Cornelia Connelly’s 200th Birthday, Sr. Lucy contributed to an archive project sharing stories in writing about her years at Mayfield including the following:
The Legend of the Campus Sheep
Sr. Lucy Malarkey, SHCJ, as told in 2009
It was the mid-1970s…
One morning before going to school, I was called to the phone, "Hi, Lucy, this is Susan. Lou and I are at the farm and we are going to bring you 2 sheep." I had no idea this was going to happen, so I asked, "How about one sheep?" The vague reply was, "No, the sheep man said they are better in pairs." Click. That was the end of the phone call. Of course, it happened at recess when 300 children were outside, and the car pulled in with a hunting dog between the bucket front seats, with two lambs hogtied in the back seat. What was I going to do with the sheep? We got them out of the car and took them up to the "cage" playground where the children had lunch and put them behind the small building with vending machines inside. There were a few rabbits in there that had burrowed in the dirt so I just hoped the lambs wouldn't fall and break a leg.
Angel who worked for MJS for 25 years was well named came to the rescue, "Ah, sister! You are my favorite sister." I laughed, "Angel, you say that to all the sisters.” A building was going up across the street from the Elementary Building, and there was plenty of leftover lumber waiting to be hauled away. Angel went over and got half inch and quarter inch plywood that was thrown out, 4 x 4's, 2 x 4's and anything else that would help build a fence. We had a few redwood trees huddled together against the inside fence of the field. Angel built a small lean-to in the shade of the trees and a rack for hay. We filled a good-sized bucket with water and had an area fenced maybe 10-feet wide and 18-feet long. Alfalfa, the female sheep, and Timothy, the male sheep, were delighted to get their own place away from the rabbits and rabbit holes. I named each sheep after a type of hay, and I put a leather collar on each one. One of our MJS parents sold hay and grain at Santa Anita Race Track, and each week brought a bale of hay and grain as needed for the lambs. On weekends, I would often let the sheep out on the field to romp, play and graze. I had no idea if a permit was needed for sheep because it never even occurred to me, but we did not get cited for two sheep on campus. The P.E. Department was not exactly thrilled with a sheep pen in center field because one could run only two bases if the softball went into the sheep pen. However, we all survived. At recess, one could look over in the sheep pen and see four children sitting on the ground with their legs crossed and collectively patting a lamb oh so gently. There was always a second group doing the same thing. A child or two who may have had a hard time making friends loved being with the lambs and enjoyed loving them. It was wonderful to watch! I wished we had 10 acres to devote to animals as for some of the children this was such a positive experience, and helped them grow in confidence while bonding with our school lambs.
Mayfield Junior School
405 South Euclid Avenue, Pasadena, California 91101 626.796.2774
Located in Pasadena, California, Mayfield Junior School of the Holy Child Jesus is a K-8 Catholic coeducational private school. Our kindergarten, elementary school, and middle school experience best prepares students for high school education and beyond.
