Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School (OLL) is about to embark on another busy and successful school year. The 2023-24 academic year will bring many exciting changes and initiatives that will continue to make the school a gem within Catholic education.
Possibly the most significant change for the upcoming year is a change at the top. The previous assistant principal (AP), Jannine LeBlanc, takes over this year as principal. Her tenure as an AP has prepared her to lead the school to new heights.
“The position of principal means I am the spiritual leader of the school and I am committed to leading all students to know the love of God, to know of His works, and to live according to Catholic ideals and principles,” Mrs. LeBlanc says. “I am excited to serve all my students, families, faculty, and staff. I am excited to see where God leads us.”
One of Mrs. LeBlanc’s first initiatives is to start a new accreditation process, which will help the school to continue to improve in all areas of school life.
“Participating in the accreditation process allows us to look at our strengths and weaknesses and then put action items in place for improvement,” Mrs. LeBlanc says. “It will take a great deal of work, but I am excited to go through the process and learn from it so that we can continue to be a great school.”
In addition to Mrs. LeBlanc serving as principal, there will also be a new assistant principal and a few new teachers within the faculty.
“The most visible change, next year, will be the colors of the uniforms for the lower grade girls,” Mrs. LeBlanc says. “The plaid that we had for years was discontinued so we had to move to a new plaid.”
Another prominent focus of the 2023-2024 school year will be increased security. “Students will see security cameras and new locks on some of the doors,” Mrs. LeBlanc says. “There will be a new system for visitor check-in as well as for students to check in and check out. Students and parents can expect to see this increase in security as a complement to our current safe environment.”
As the next school year approaches, Mrs. LeBlanc is excited to see what the students will achieve.
“I am excited to work in partnership with a wonderful group of parents who are dedicated to their students’ education,” Mrs. LeBlanc says. “I am excited to work with the professional teachers and staff that are committed to their students and the Catholic education that they provide.”
There is much that our parish should be proud of concerning OLL. As a vital part of our parish life, all parishioners are welcome to join and support many of the school’s activities including school Masses, music concerts, and sporting events.
Mrs. LeBlanc knows that the dynamic between the parish and school is of great importance.
“The school is the future of the parish,” she says. “We have many families that are a second or third generation of OLL students. We share much more than just a campus — we are one in serving our Lord and growing in our relationship with him.”
As the next school year approaches, there is much to look forward to, and the entire parish is encouraged to get involved and continue to support this great apostolate!
To learn more about the great things happening at OLL as the new school year gets under way, visit www.olls.org.