ATLANTA--"Home" is the word which accurately describes what Our Lady of Lourdes School means to Carolyn Meadows, a 1973 graduate who returned 11 years ago as a teacher.

"This school is home to me," said Meadows. "This is where the foundation for the rest of my life was established. There could be nothing more satisfying or rewarding than to serve the community that gave me my start."

Meadow's elementary education was shaped by the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament who staffed Our Lady of Lourdes School at 25 Boulevard from 1913 to 1974. Founded by Blessed Katharine Drexel, the congregation is dedicated to sharing both the Gospel and life centered in the Eucharist with poor and oppressed native Americans and African-Americans. A portrait of Drexel hangs prominently in the office of Meadows, now the lead teacher at the school.

"Every day I try to ensure that Katharine Drexel's vision is lived out in this community," said Meadows, who teaches science and is responsible for the day to day operation of the school. "I feel a responsibility to finish the job that these sisters and their order began."

Meadows believes that Drexel would be happy with the diversity of the student body. The student population has changed from 100 percent African-American to a multicultural community of various races, denominations and socio-economic backgrounds.

"This has been and continues to be a very positive opportunity for our students because it allows them to be exposed to and work within a community that is uniquely diverse," she said. "We have students who are Asian, African-American, Hispanic and Caucasian. There aren't a lot of schools that can say that."

In the midst of diversity, the children are given a strong sense of being a member of the Our Lady of Lourdes family.

"We try to make each individual feel as if he is a vital part of the school community because the reality is that he is," Meadows said. "It is not unusual for teachers of the younger students to call them ?sweetie' or ?pumpkin' in an effort to communicate the love they have for their students. We strive to build a very personal relationship with our children."

She also believes that Drexel would be pleased with her current students' pursuit of academic excellence.

"I often say that Our Lady of Lourdes School is the best kept secret in the Archdiocese of Atlanta," she said. "When a student graduates from this school he is ready to face the world academically, socially, spiritually and psychologically. We are dedicated to educating the whole child."

Using her own family as an example, Meadows, who has seven cousins who have graduated from the school, says that many graduates send their children to Our Lady of Lourdes because of the positive experience they had.

"Because of this, my family and many other families recognize a rich heritage at this school," she said. "This is truly a school built on generations. Graduates of Our Lady of Lourdes frequently enroll their children in their alma mater. There is no greater compliment a parent can give us than to place their child in the very school environment in which they were educated. I love to see kids have the same experience their parents had as little ones coming of age in this unique educational environment."

Meadows hopes that each graduate of Our Lady of Lourdes School leaves with an appreciation and understanding of the school's mission and history. Last year at graduation Meadows began what she hopes will become a tradition at Our Lady of Lourdes. Wearing her own 1973 school pin she placed on each graduate a similar pin inscribed with the year of his or her graduation.

"During graduation I tell them that when they enrolled in the school, I felt like a mother bird in the nest with her little chicks," Meadows said. "I tell them it is now time for me, like all mother birds, to nudge them out of the nest and allow them to soar on their own. I expect that from them and believe they will succeed because of the standards that have been set here. When they receive the pin it is a reminder of the values that have been instilled in them. They graduate knowing that they have a piece of Lourdes to hold onto."

A 1976 graduate of St. Joseph's High School, Meadows graduated from Spelman College in 1980 with a degree in biology. She had a strong desire to work for the Centers for Disease Control, but was unable to find a job there because of a government hiring freeze.

"In retrospect it was really a blessing in disguise," Meadows said. "My mother was teaching at a local high school and asked me if I would put my name on the substitute list. As soon as I stepped into the classroom I was hooked."

For the next five years she worked as an assigned substitute teacher at two Atlanta public schools, Carver High School and the M. Agnes Jones School.

"I have never regretted the years I spent as a substitute teacher," she said. "Substituting really allows you to see what you are made of. There are a lot of unknowns. You don't know what is going to be asked of you the next day, so you are unable to prepare. You just have to walk into the situation and make the best of it."

Once she had enough classroom experience and had completed courses for certification, Meadows decided it was time to return with her gift of teaching to the school that had educated her.

"I knew that it was time to begin my professional career," Meadows said. "And as I thought about this I realized that I wanted my career to be at Our Lady of Lourdes School. It was as if God was telling me it was time ?to go back home.' I never gave it a second thought. And I've been home ever since."