Catholic Schools Praised by Federal Government
Published May 27, 2008
St. Patrick School, a 57-year landmark, is expanding enrollment and facilities.
St. Patrick School, a Corpus Christi landmark for 57 years, has received nationwide recognition by winning No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon School honors from the U.S. Department of Education.
“We’ve always had a strong academic program,” says Patricia Stegall, the elementary school’s principal. “But to even apply for this, our reading and math standardized test scores had to be among the top 10 percent in the nation.”
Award-winning academics are paired with what Stegall describes as a very traditional Catholic education. “We teach children about their faith and how to live their faith,” she says. “You hear the term ‘whole child’ tossed around a lot, but we live it.”
Enrollment is up, exceeding 300 students during the 2007-08 academic year. Stegall says about 75 to 80 percent of them can be expected to remain in the Catholic school system after graduating from St. Patrick.
A new wing of classrooms opened for sixth-graders in 2007-08, and further construction projects are planned.
In addition to a rigorous curriculum, the school has a full complement of after-school activities, from piano and chess to scouting and sports.
Stegall says strong levels of parental and parish support are key to the school’s success. Parental involvement is especially evident every October when the school opens its courtyard to the community for the annual Halloween carnival, the school’s major fundraiser.
Such events illustrate the advantages of living in what Stegall calls an ideal-sized community.
“I’ve lived in bigger and smaller places, but this is just right,” she says. “It has the shopping and the entertainment without the huge traffic problems. And when you go places, you usually see people you know.”
Story by Leanne Libby
Photo by Brian McCord
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