U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos today announced Our Lady of Grace Catholic School as one of 362 schools to be recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2019. The recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.
“The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has honored and recognized great American public and private elementary, middle, and high schools since 1982. Every year, Catholic elementary and secondary schools are among the hundreds of public and private schools identified by the U. S. Department of Education as National Blue Ribbon Schools”… “Each state's commissioner of education nominates public schools for the award and the Council for American Private Education (CAPE) nominates the private schools. Representatives from each school are invited to an awards ceremony in November in Washington, D.C. This award is a great tribute to the dedication of faculties who clearly value academic excellence, as well as to the commitment of students who strive to succeed to the best of their ability. Each of these schools exemplifies the best of Catholic education, and all of us at the National Catholic Educational Association are extremely proud of the efforts of these school communities that led to this tremendous accomplishment.”- NCEA (National Catholic Education Association), National Blue Ribbon Schools 2018
Our Lady of Grace Catholic School is blessed to have received this distinction twice before, in 2001 and 2009, making this our 3rd Blue Ribbon Award. OLG is the only K-8 School in the state of Minnesota to receive three Blue Ribbon Awards!
Through the National Blue Ribbon Award process we were given the opportunity to create a written record of our school’s legacy and history. This record chronicles 30 years of academic excellence in our Catholic School rooted in faith and tells the story of a mission, predicated 70 years ago in 1949 with our founders, the Sisters of Mercy, to provide outstanding Catholic education, serve the poor and reach out to the community. What we have achieved today would not have been accomplished without the dedication of all the many wonderful religious sisters, principals, priests, teachers, staff, students, parents, volunteers and parishioners who came before us.
About Our Lady of Grace Catholic School
Our Lady of Grace (OLG) is a private, co-educational, Catholic School welcoming students from kindergarten through eighth grade. A three-time National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, Our Lady of Grace is an exemplary educational experience - nurturing and expanding the hearts, minds, and souls of students since opening its doors in 1949. Families are drawn to OLG and its community of learning, inclusion and faith, grounded in a motto of 'Leading with Yes' - saying yes to personal excellence, reaching beyond ourselves, and the call to share God's love.
Students thrive under a faculty committed to continuous improvement through ongoing professional development. The OLG staff is dedicated to their craft, collaborating across grade levels and subject areas to provide a rigorous curriculum, promoting growth with attention to the individual.
In 2006, OLG began its One-to-One Laptop Learning Program with a focus on digital literacy, creative collaboration, and inventive thinking. In 2009 and 2010, OLG was selected as an Apple Exemplary Program for illustrating best practices of a 21st century learning environment. Today, technology is integrated into every classroom with a one-to-one technology initiative and a STEM curriculum bridging the entire student population.
OLG stands on the shoulders of generations of families, parishioners, students, faculty, and staff who have made it the extraordinary Catholic School that it is today. At OLG, students grow in faith, virtue and character. Graduates go on to excel in high school, college, and beyond - with a strong foundation of integrity fostered and realized while at OLG.
