Holy Redeemer School Hosts Open Houses

Ring, ring. Click, click. “Hello. Welcome to Holy Redeemer!” The doors are again open at Holy Redeemer School in College Park after the snow and is school is once again abuzz with activity.

January is not only the unofficial start to the second half of the year, it is also the time when the faculty, staff and parent volunteers begin to prepare for Catholic Schools Week. The event, held each year in Catholic schools across the nation, is an opportunity for the school, located in the Berwyn section of College Park, to present to its neighboring communities the school’s faith, knowledge and service. This year’s Catholic Schools Week at Holy Redeemer School will be from January 31-February 5, 2016. The week features several events to spread the good news about the 84 year old school and to showcase its mission of “Excellence in Education with the Power of Faith.”

On Sunday, January 31, the first Open House will be held from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. “The Open Houses give teachers a chance to not only show their classrooms and student work,” said Ms. Jennifer Eller, eighth grade teacher and middle school level coordinator. “They also give us the opportunity to spend time with the community in a place that is so important to us.” The Children’s Choir will perform at the Mass at 10:00AM. Guests may tour the school, meet and talk with the teachers, view the curriculum, learn about the many extracurricular activities offered, and enjoy refreshments. Not to be missed are the state of the art Science Lab and the Technology Center. “My husband and I looked into a lot of area schools, trying to find the perfect fit, not only for our children, but for our whole family,” recalls Kelly Meyers, mother of two Holy Redeemer School students. “When we visited Holy Redeemer School, we knew without a doubt that we had found the absolute best environment for our children. Worried that there would be no more spots available, we went straight to our car, opened up our laptop and completed the online application. Our son started Kindergarten in August 2015 and was immediately enveloped by friendly classmates, teachers, and administrators. When he was chosen as the ‘Superstar,’ Mrs. Ervin sent home a list compiled by his classmates that listed all the reasons why he was a superstar to share with us. I am so glad she did, because it only confirmed what I already knew. He loves school, and we love it too!”

A walk through the school will show that there is a major emphasis on Mathematics. Even the library has math facts posted on the walls, and the hallway contains bulletin boards with math problems for the primary, intermediate and middle school grade levels.

A second Open House will be held on Tuesday, February 2 from 8:30 AM-11:00 AM. A time that Mrs. Maria Bovich, principal at Holy Redeemer School, said is a great opportunity to see the school “in action,” but also see how the building has improved. “This school and parish has undergone many changes in the last five years,” said Mrs. Bovich. “There have been numerous facility updates and modernizations to the building. In the last two years, we focused on the technology updates. All of our classrooms now have interactive smart technology, and we have two classroom sets of iPads, and the building is completely wireless. We also created a new Technology Center with 36 computer stations to accommodate full classes. Our next project for the summer of 2016 is the creation of a new, state of the art Music Studio.”

Holy Redeemer School offers a small student-to-teacher ratio in classrooms which emphasize mastery of skills in Mathematics, Sciences, English, Scripture, Social Studies and Spanish. Holy Redeemer School is unique in that it offers accelerated math classes for Grades 4-8, accelerated literature classes for Grades 6-8, and Art studio and Art History classes for grades K-8, Music and Drama appreciation and performances for grades PK-8. “This was a great school year for our children,” said Lizette LeBlanc, mother of two middle school students. “They have thrived and flourished in a caring and spiritual environment filled with varied activities and learning opportunities. Our family had grown spiritually as we shared the religious growth with our children.”

“Holy Redeemer School has offered my children a high quality education, a strong supportive community, and a grounding sense of spirituality during a challenging year for our family,” said Shannon Lyons, mother of three students. “I feel very blessed that my children were with such skilled, nurturing, and caring teachers and administrators at HRS.”

All teachers are state-certified. The principal, Mrs. Bovich, is a state-certified Principal with Administrative Licensure from the State of Maryland with a Master’s Degree in School Administration and Leadership. All of the religion teachers are certified Catechists with the Archdiocese of Washington. The school, in recent years, has recognized the need to offer more specialized services for students. A certified Special Education/Resource Coordinator for special-needs students is employed full time at the school.

On Wednesday, February 3, the teachers and administration will host a Volunteer Breakfast to honor all those who give of their time to the school and then all are invited to attend a special School Mass. “The number of volunteers speaks volumes about the vitality of this community,” said Ms. Brianna Nickle, vice principal of Holy Redeemer School.

On Thursday, February 4, the students will enjoy a day of no homework and an ice cream treat for student appreciation day. The students deserve it. In the recent High School Placement Test, the eighth grade students scored above the national average in all areas. Additionally, the top 25% scored above the national top 25%. The school boasts that the eighth grade students have had a 100% acceptance rate a Catholic or private high school of their choice for the past eight years. Holy Redeemer School students consistently score above the national average in Math and Reading on standardized testing.

The week will end by celebrating the students’ many accomplishments at the Second Quarter Awards Assembly, held in the church at 10:30 AM.

“Open Houses not only showcase the community and the staff, but most importantly, the main resource- our students,” said Ms. Eller. “Listening to the students give tours and hearing what they talk about on those tours show how much they love the school. Watching the students in the classroom getting excited about sharing their love of Holy Redeemer School with our guests makes me realize each year what a great place this is to work.”

“I wish there was a way to capture the school’s goodness; to show everyone what I see every day here,” said Rev. Mark Smith, pastor of Holy Redeemer School. “These are good kids, these are incredibly dedicated teachers. You have to come to the school to truly see its goodness.”

Holy Redeemer School is located 4902 Berwyn Road in College Park, Md. To contact the school office or schedule a tour outside of the open houses, please call 301-474-3993. The website is www.holy-redeemer.org.