HISTORY OF ST. JOHN SCHOOL --- Old Saybrook
St. John School opened in 1964 with 70 students in the first and second grades. Each year a class was added and in 1972 the first eighth grade class graduated. However, St. John did not reopen in the fall. The closure of St. John School was the result of a number of factors. The Sisters who staffed the school were withdrawing. Replacements for these departing Sisters could not be found. The school community wanted the school to be administered by a religious order. Combined with this, the school was experiencing some financial difficulties.
For the next twenty years the school functioned as a parish center, housing the Religious Education Office and CCD classrooms, a parish hall for small and large groups, and the Shoreline Soup Kitchen.
In 1993, surveys began to show a great deal of support to reopen St. John School. With the backing of Dr. Howard Bennett, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Norwich as well as local parents, Bishop Daniel Reilly granted permission to reopen it in the fall of 1994. Under the direction of Father Joseph Hanks, the new pastor, and staffed by the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady, Mother of the Church, it was the only elementary Catholic School to open in the United States that year.
St. John School officially reopened on August 31, 1994 with an enrollment of eighty-two students in Grades Pre-K – 8. By June of 1995, one hundred five students were registered. The first graduation ceremony of the newly reopened St. John School was June 11, 1995 with three graduates.
The 1995-1996 school year opened with two hundred sixteen students registered. Classroom aides were hired. The CCD office and Soup Kitchen relocated. The 1996 graduates numbered sixteen. The rapid growth and continued support of the school community was overwhelming and exciting. It also generated some concerns for the need of additional space to house larger size classes, extracurricular activities, small group instruction, a nurse’s office, a larger office for the secretary, larger library, science lab and computer room. Talk began of finding a way to expand the physical plant of the school.
The St. John School Building Committee was established in the beginning of 1996. The purpose of the committee was not to add additional grades but rather to add urgently needed space for existing classrooms, offices and activities. The 1996-97 school year began with the addition of a modular unit and two hundred thirty-one students. The building committee began work in earnest to raise the one million dollars needed to add a permanent structure to the north side of the building.
In 1999, a new wing was added to the school. In 2002-2003, the science laboratory was modernized thanks to the generosity of the parents and community. During the summer of 2003 the original wing was renovated. Sadly in the Spring of 2004 Joanne Temelini, a beloved staff member, passed away. Through donations in her memory a pre-k/ kindergarten playground and beautiful garden was put in the area outside of pre-K through grade 2. Through the fantastic efforts of our parents during the 2004-2005 school year, extra monies were made available from the H.S.A. to relocate and improve our library. During the summer of 2007 we put down a new gym floor and are now currently working towards replace windows and air conditioning in the Old Wing of the School/
Currently St. John enrolls over 245 students. It is staffed by two Sisters of Charity of Our Lady Mother of the Church and a well qualified lay faculty of practicing Christians and maintains close ties with parents through the Home & School Association.
THE NATURE OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
The Catholic school pursues cultural goals and the natural development of youth to the same degree as any other school. What makes the Catholic school distinctive is its attempt to generate a community climate in the school that is permeated by the gospel spirit of freedom and love. It tries to guide the adolescents in such a way that personality development goes hand in hand with the development of the 'new creature' that each one has become through Baptism. It tries to relate all of human culture to the good news of salvation so that the light of faith will illumine everything that the students will gradually come to learn about the world, about life, and about the human person (Declaration on Christian Education, 1965, n.8).
The cooperation required for the realization of this aim is a duty in conscience for all the members of the community—teachers, parents, pupils, administrative personnel. Each has his or her own part to play. Cooperation of all, given in the spirit of the Gospel, is by its very nature a witness not only to Christ as the cornerstone of the community, but also as the light who shines far beyond it (The Catholic School, 1977, n.60-61).
The more the members of the educational community develop a real willingness to collaborate among themselves, the more fruitful their work will be. Achieving the educational aims of the school should be an equal priority for teachers, students and families alike, each one according to his or her own role, always in the gospel spirit of freedom and love (Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School, 1988, n.39).
St. John School is not a private school, but a Catholic school. To succeed it is important that families show special support of its purpose, directives, events, etc. This requires “going the extra mile” in ways that may not be considered in other schools. Many choose to donate their services gratis, without expecting special privileges. This is greatly appreciated and a stimulus for all of us to be generous.
CATHOLIC IDENTITY
The inherent and basic purpose of Catholic Schools is to assure that Catholic truths and values are fully incorporated with the student’s life and academic program. Doctrines and practices that are specific to the Roman Catholic Church are taught to all students during daily religion classes and very often included in the secular subjects. “The Catholic School must be distinguished by its unique curriculum which strives to integrate religious truths with life. The curriculum should be designed to provide instruction not only in human knowledge and skills but also in religious truths and values (diocesan policy 6140).” Although students not of our faith are not expected to adhere to Catholic beliefs, they are expected to regard our practices and beliefs with respect. Everyone is expected to participate in class discussions and complete all religion class assignments. Non-Catholic students are expected to accompany the class to Church. Parents applying should understand and appreciate this religious dimension of St. John School.
MISSION STATEMENT
St. John School provides a traditional Catholic education in a safe and nurturing Christ-centered atmosphere through its spiritual, academic, extracurricular and outreach programs for grades pre-kindergarten through eight.
SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY
St. John School introduces the growing child into a community of love, learning, and living. This introduction is implemented by an actively believing staff in cooperation with the parents to form a community of living faith and of love for and service to others, a community that not only looks in upon itself, but also looks outward to all people. In an atmosphere which fosters Christian moral values and Catholic tradition through positive adult role models and effective discipline, students are encouraged to use their individual and unique talents to share the message of Jesus Christ with their families and all those with whom they have contact.
At St. John School we are mindful of the educational mission of the Roman Catholic Church as stated so clearly in the Documents of Vatican II and reflected in the document of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, “To Teach as Jesus Did”. Through education the Church seeks to prepare its members to proclaim the Good News and to translate this proclamation into action (To Teach as Jesus Did #7). We, therefore, endeavor:
To prepare the students to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel, to grow in Christian values and to embrace Catholic Tradition.
To develop the students’ talents: spiritual, intellectual, and physical—so that they can contribute to society and prepare for their eternal destiny.
To guide the students to the realization that all life is sacred and that they are created in the image and likeness of God.
To experience Catholic Christian community so that the students will be able to build community in their own lives and the lives of others.
To develop social awareness in the students and to work for peace and justice in the world.
In a word, at St. John School our aim is “to grow in our commitment to service of God, to one another, the Church, and the general community” (To Teach as Jesus Did #107).