We remember.

2010-11 is the 61st year of our parish school.  This ministry has only been possible because of the many students, faculty, administrators, parents, and friends of OLG who have given of their time, talent, and treasure to support us.  From an eight room school with 115 students to a K-8 school with nearly 700 students and a staff of 55 professionals, we are blessed to be a part of a faith community whose greatest commitment is to the spiritual and academic growth of its students.

In 1946, the Our Lady of Grace Parish community began with 165 families led by Fr. Louis Forrey who had a vision to build a strong Catholic community of ministry and a K-8 school.  A 22 acre campus was made available by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.  Before even one stone was laid on the campus, the first liturgies were celebrated in the old Edina Theater.  However, by 1949, the parish community had invested $450,000 in a building project, and the cornerstone was laid.  Mass was celebrated in a basement church which today is used as the school’s art, music, and extended care rooms.  In 1949, OLG School opened with eight rooms, staffed by the Sisters of Mercy, who welcomed 115 students. 

The principals and pastors who have guided OLG School include:

We celebrate.

We recognize how blessed we are that our parish and school community have flourished through the years.  Today, there are more than 2,000 parish families and nearly 700 students enrolled in OLG School.  The significant growth of the facilities has resulted in a corresponding growth in the faith formation and education programs.  Some of the highlights of that growth are:

• In the 1950s, an auditorium was completed, and Masses were celebrated in the new space.  Eight classrooms were added to the original eight rooms ($500,000).
• In the 1970s, OLG School first began to offer sports, and the athletic fields were added. 
• In the 1980s, the current church was completed ($4.2 million), and the former church began to be used as the school gym.  In addition, the first K-5 music teacher was hired, and an art program was initiated.  By 1987, the school’s enrollment had grown to 282 students.  
• In the 1990s, the current school principal began her tenure.  In 1999, OLG School celebrated its 50th anniversary.  Further, before care and after care programs were started, and OLG students began to take the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) tests.
• In the 2000s, the Middle School, Grace Room, school library, school office, K-5 computer lab, and faculty lounge were completed ($2.6 million).  In 2001, OLG School was awarded the National Blue Ribbon by the U.S. Department of Education, and in 2009, OLG School was awarded a second National Blue Ribbon [click here], making OLG School one of fewer than 15 schools in Minnesota which have received more than one blue ribbon since the program began in 1982.  In 2002, OLG’s principal was awarded the Distinguished Principal Award by the National Catholic Education Association.  It was also during this decade that OLG School first offered differentiated math paths for 6th – 8th grade students with the most accelerated group completing 9th grade geometry in 8th grade.  In addition, the Middle School Service Club began and now includes over 100 students.  In 2006, OLG School raised several hundred thousand dollars through Project Blessings, which enabled us to begin the One to One Laptop Learning Program for all 6th - 8th grade students.  In 2008-09, OLG School was one of 12 Catholic schools given a Catholic Schools for Tomorrow national award from Today’s Catholic Teacher magazine; OLG’s award was for “total community involvement” as demonstrated by Project Blessings [click here].  Today, there are interactive electronic white boards in all 5th through 8th grade classrooms as well as in the library, K-5 computer lab, art room, and music room.  Further, Apple selected OLG School as an Apple Exemplary Program for 2009-10.  OLG was one of only 38 programs that Apple recognized nationwide for illustrating best practice qualities of a 21st century learning environment.  Finally, OLG School prides itself on a culture and tradition of teaching excellence, and 75% of OLG School’s teachers have Master’s degrees. 

We believe.

In May of 1950, OLG School graduated its first class, 12 students.  This year, we will watch another class graduate.  Many of these students have been studying and worshiping in our school for nine years.  In kindergarten, they enjoyed having an 8th grade “prayer buddy” who helped them research a saint and watched them march as that saint in the school’s All Saints’ Day Mass.  In 2nd grade, they studied for and celebrated the sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist.  Now, as 8th graders, they have kindergarten prayer buddies assigned to them and the opportunity to act as Peer Ministers for our school.  From an eight room school to a school filled with nearly 700 students who participate in a rich faith formation program and who are offered a challenging academic curriculum, we stand on the shoulders of generations of parishioners, school families, and staff who have made OLG School the extraordinary Catholic educational institution that it is today.   Most importantly, we believe that an OLG education continues to offer what it has offered since opening its doors in 1949 --  nurturing and expanding the hearts, minds, and souls of students and providing a solid foundation on which they can rely as they become caring and engaged Catholic Christians.