Dear Visitors,

I would like to welcome you to the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School web site!  For fifty-seven years, OLL has been providing the students of Raleigh and the surrounding areas a quality Catholic education.  Founded by the Sisters of the Holy Cross in 1954, the school has also seen religious and educational leadership from the Sisters of Mercy and the Sisters of Notre Dame.  Today we remain a Sisters of Notre Dame affiliated school.

Members of our dedicated and creative staff, including two Sisters of Notre Dame, offer the students basic core classes in religion, language arts, social studies, math, and science.  In addition students also take an enhancing enrichment curriculum:  Spanish (daily classes in middle school), music, art, physical education, computers, and library.  This year we will be having our AdvancEd Quality Assurance Review for our accreditation, a visitation that takes place every five years.

Besides our academic program, students develop an understanding of Catholic worship by participating in a variety of liturgies and paraliturgies:  an all school weekly mass, special liturgies for holy and feast days, prayer services, and sacramental preparation (as part of the parish community).  At the center of who we are as a Catholic school, students engage in service projects throughout the year as a school, classes, and individuals.  Last year we had an extremely successful middle school service project on October 19th.  Our sixth, seventh, and eighth graders participated in a gleaning project in Johnson County.  During the course of one day, our students picked 4,920 pounds of sweet potatoes.  This provided 14,760 meals at local soup kitchens and shelters. At the same time, students are asked to come forth and participate in the parish as altar servers, readers, and cantors.  Finally, OLL students participate in a variety of athletics (baseball, basketball, cheerleading, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball) and extracurricular activities (i.e., chess club, drama club, Science Olympiad, student council, choir). 

I am excited to begin my eighth year as principal of OLL. Each year we choose a theme for all of us to concentrate on throughout the year.  I find that by doing so we, as a school community, can emphasize certain aspects of our school life.  Working with you during a staff meeting last year, we decided that this year’s theme will be “Building the City of God—One Student at a Time.”  As part of this theme, we will concentrate on specific virtues for each month: Learning (August), Respect (September), Sportsmanship (October), Friendship (November/December), Example (January), Prayer (February), Community (March), Service (April), and Faith (May).  Although I will be dealing with other aspects of school life throughout the year, I feel this theme with these virtues will set the tone for what I know will be another great year for our students, families, and staff.  As we begin our 2011-2012 school year, I ask God to bless our students, staff, families, school, and parish.

Blessings,

Robert B. Scripko, Ph.D.

Principal