Three Catholic Schools Celebrate Fifth Anniversary

By ERIKA ANDERSON, Staff Writer

Published: September 18, 2003

ATLANTA—On Sept. 7, 1999, the dreams of Archbishop John F. Donoghue and many others yearning for Catholic education were realized with the opening of three new elementary schools in the archdiocese.

That October, Holy Redeemer School, Alpharetta, Our Lady of Victory School, Tyrone, and Queen of Angels School, Roswell, were dedicated by the archbishop in three separate Masses held at the respective schools.

All three schools were funded in part by the 1997 “Building the Church of Tomorrow” Capital Campaign, which exceeded its goal of $50 million by raising over $100 million in pledges for the construction of new schools, including two Catholic high schools, and for Catholic campus centers, as well as for endowment funds for the education of seminarians, for tuition assistance and for the retirement needs of priests.

The three schools filled a tremendous need in their areas, with Holy Redeemer and Queen of Angels each built to serve 500 students and Our Lady of Victory built to serve 250 students. All three were built next to a parish and church, but draw students regionally.

Five years later, all three schools have received their accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and they are thriving in their own way, despite some challenges along the way. All three have student populations at or above capacity and provide a strong Catholic formation program coupled with challenging academics.

Judith Mucheck, superintendent of Catholic schools, said that she has enjoyed watching the evolution of the schools into their own special communities.

“While the physical facilities are similar, each school community has evolved to have its own unique character,” she said. “It has been wonderful to watch them grow and change over these last five years. Not only has the seed of Catholic education been planted in Tyrone, Alpharetta and Roswell—it has taken root and is flourishing.”

In their fifth year of serving the children of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, the schools are each celebrating their accomplishments and looking ahead.

Holy Redeemer School, Alpharetta

Holy Redeemer School this year serves 515 students in kindergarten through eighth grade and is unique in having an all-Catholic student body. It is adjacent to St. Brigid Church.

The administration at Holy Redeemer has remained the same since its opening and 80 percent of the faculty is the same. Seventy-five percent of faculty members hold master’s degrees. Two teachers have participated in Harvard University’s summer program for leadership, and one teacher has applied for National Board Certification.

All grade levels complete service projects and participate in musical productions.

The school received a Goizueta Foundation grant for an early intervention program in reading and the community is pleased to have expanded technology, which includes interactive white boards in all classrooms, a second computer lab and laptop computers for all their teachers.

A closed circuit television program produces live broadcasts each day. The school also has expanded their middle school, with more students in sixth through eighth grade. Foreign language instruction in French and Spanish is given in grades four through eight, with enrichment in the lower grades.

Last year, an annual appeal raised over $200,000, which does not include the money that went to the teacher enrichment fund.

Founding principal Mary Reiling said that in the last five years, she has been most proud of the strength of the Holy Redeemer community, especially its teachers, who have had only a one percent turnover rate.

“I think it speaks a lot to their personal commitment to the school and their dedication to the families,” she said.

She feels honored to have gotten to know so many families and has seen students grow.

“I’ve watched them from the very beginning and then have seen them go on to the Catholic high schools,” she said. “I saw this school when it was a (vacant) field … I’ve seen the growth. It’s amazing what having a Catholic school has done for these families. We’ve been marked by stability, and that has brought tremendous religious and community growth.”

Our Lady Of Victory School, Tyrone

Our Lady of Victory School currently exceeds its original capacity and serves 274 students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The school population is 85 percent Catholic. It is adjacent to St. Matthew’s Church.

Students in all grade levels as well as through the After School Sports Program and the Beta Club have the opportunity to work on service projects and the chance to participate in musical performances. The school holds a major spring musical performance that is open to students in grades five through eight. The school also has a vibrant pre-kindergarten program.

With a balanced budget, Our Lady of Victory also has an Annual Fund for Excellence, which boasts contributions of over $75,000 in the past four years. OLV’s Home and School Association raises $45,000 a year for extra needs that are not covered in the budget.

Teacher salaries have been enhanced above the current scale by three percent to maintain veteran teachers and attract new teachers, and 50 percent of faculty members hold master’s degrees.

As at Holy Redeemer, a live closed circuit television program produces morning broadcasts.

Last year, the school began a textbook adoption and replacement cycle that is thriving in its second year.

Principal Craig Mousseau believes the school has a thriving spirit.

“I think our biggest asset is our sense of community and parental support,” he said. “There is also a strong Catholicity that is evident everywhere in everything we do.”

That sense of community is also evident, he said in “staff cohesiveness” and in the “happy, well-adjusted, respectful and loving students.”

Mousseau, who succeeded Sallie McQuaid as principal when she retired in 2002, sees continued growth in the school’s future. Nanci Pearson was the school’s founding principal.

As he looks ahead to the next five years, Mousseau said that they plan to construct a “new middle school building to assist with continued growth.”

The school will also be revamping their computer systems and replacing outdated hardware.

Mousseau also said they plan to “add a school nurse, chaplain and additional teacher aides,” as well as a chapel for small group and class worship.

Queen Of Angels School, Roswell

Queen of Angels School serves 501 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is adjacent to St. Peter Chanel Church and Blessed Trinity High School.

Students at all grade levels complete service projects that are designed to help students minister to those less fortunate. The school received a Goizueta Foundation grant for curriculum enrichment and the advancement of teacher education, and teachers’ salaries have been raised through the efforts of the school’s Annual Appeal.

The school has established the Sister Patricia Clune Scholarship Fund, in honor of its founding principal, so that they can provide financial support to its families in need.

The school participates in the WeatherNet and WeatherBug programs in which they monitor conditions outside the school and can pull up the weather conditions on their Internet and broadcast them to other locations around the country.

Spanish is offered to students in kindergarten through eighth grade and the school broadcasts announcements via closed circuit television.

Last year, a team of middle school students entered the Future Cities Regional Competition and won second place, and last February, six student poems were chosen for publication in the anthology “Celebration of Young Poets” by Communication Press.

The Queen of Angels community has a bond that was established early in its history.

The school community rallied in March 2000 when Sister Clune submitted her resignation, citing a lack of confidence in the Department of Catholic Education and disagreement with budget cuts of $300,000 or more per year that she was being asked to make for the next several years. Her resignation was withdrawn after the archbishop took a series of actions, including naming a new education secretary and meeting with the community to restore confidence and find solutions.

Sister Clune resigned at the end of the 2002 school year to minister to her elderly parents. Last year, the school was directed by a leadership team made up of Cynthia Sabula, assistant principal; Catherine Anderson, director of student services; and Lisa Yezzi, Ph.D., director of curriculum, until a new principal could be hired.

Kathy Wood, an educator and administrator at St. Pius X High School, Atlanta, began serving as principal this school year and is already impressed with the community.

“The strongest assets of Queen of Angels Catholic School are the parents, students, faculty and staff,” she said. “They are dedicated to our school mission statement and work collaboratively to ensure that all students are provided with an academic regimen that is steeped in our Catholic faith and that will prepare them for their future.”

But Wood is also looking toward the future.

“In the next five years we will continue our pursuit of excellence in education within the context of our Catholic faith,” she said. “Queen of Angels Catholic School is a Christ-centered community that prides itself on its commitment to its faculty, students and families. We will continue to fund Capital Replacement so we can upgrade our facility and envision a school where faculty, students and parents use school technology to leverage learning.”