Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic School

It all started in 1955. An auditorium/gym building was built which was intended to serve as a temporary church and school. Four Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity came from Stella Niagara, New York to begin Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic School in September of 1955. By the spring of 1956, the new school building was completed. In 1963, an additional wing was added to the school to allow more adequate classroom space. Finally, in 1968 a decision was made to erect a library for the school.
In 1969, with the closing of the Donaldson Air Force Base, a wooden barracks building was purchased by the parish and presently houses our K4 classroom and Art classes. Father Bayard formed the first OLR School Board in order to help develop the children to the highest level possible, encouraging the integration of religious truths, scholastic achievement and creativity. In 1975, the Reece Construction Co. was contracted to build a new Parish Center consisting of a gym and an unfinished upper level. In 1977, the unfinished upper level was divided into three classrooms forming our present Middle School. In 1987, the Sisters of Notre Dame announced they could no longer maintain Our Lady of the Rosary School. Sr. Carol Gnau, the school Principal bid a fond farewell to the upstate. Mr. Keith Darr became the first lay Principal. Mrs. Terri Parillo was the Assistant Principal and both Mr. Darr and Mrs. Parillo continued the excellence associated with OLR.
The list of Principals to date are: Sr. Carol Gnau, Keith Darr, Paul Herr, Therese Gallivan, Mary Louque, Beverly Farley, John Harrington, Bobby Moreau, and Marianne Tully.

* We have Mrs. Ruth Meyer and Father Thomas A. Evatt to thank for this wonderful history of Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic School. As we look to the future of OLR, may it be as everlasting as our belief in God’s Love.

ARROWSMITH PROGRAM INFORMATION:

The Arrowsmith Program at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic School is designed for students who struggle to reach their full academic potential in a classroom. The goal of the Arrowsmith Program at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic School is to help students with learning differences become effective, self- directed and confident students. MRI imaging has shown that the brain can be physically altered after retraining exercises designed to strengthen academic potential.

The Arrowsmith Program does not focus on academics. It uses certain exercises to target certain pathways in the brain. The Arrowsmith classroom at Our Lady of the Rosary is a place where students who struggle in school come together as a family to work on exercises that strengthen and grow specific areas of their brain. The Arrowsmith students understand each other's struggles and encourage each other to be successful. The Arrowsmith atmosphere focuses on a loving and successful environment for students. This is only one of the many reasons Our Lady of the Rosary is called a school with a HEART!

Thank you again for your help! Please let me know if you need any additional information or have any additional questions about the Arrowsmith Program.