Volume 3, Issue 6 Spring 2017A newsletter published for parents, alumni and friends of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School

7500 Pearl Street, Bethesda MD 20814 • (301) 654-5376www.bethesda-lourdes.org • alumni@bethesda-lourdes.org

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School

God bless,

Patricia McGann, Principal

Volume 3, Issue 6 Spring 2017

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School

Alumni NewsFrom the Principal’s Desk

Over the past twelve years at Our Lady of Lourdes, I have had many opportunities to address parents, alumni, students, faculty and sta�, parishioners and donors. I have always considered it an honor to share the stories of our little school on the corner of Pearl Street, stories about our wonderful children, their remarkable families and our dedicated faculty and sta�.

All too o�en today we measure success by grades, test scores, high school placements, parental connections and income. At Lourdes, we measure success di�erently. We are incredibly proud of our students’ achievements, and we maintain academic excellence as one of the main components of our school’s mission statement. �ese achievements are only important, however, if our students are good people – young people who contribute in a positive way to their communities. If our graduates recognize that they have a responsibility to live a mission-centered life, and to do something that matters, then we know we have done our job. We are able to do that job because a �rm foundation in the Catholic faith is the cornerstone of a Lourdes education

Our teachers and parents work together to form students in faith, to teach them to live a life for others, a life manifested in service to God, their families and their neighbors. “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12) We teach our students to see the Face of God in others, in their classmate who quietly sets an example, and in the teacher who challenges them to do their best. We teach our children to watch out for one another, to hold the door, to help carry books and boxes, and to recognize the quiet saints around them. We teach them to work with all their might, and to make the most of the gi�s they are given. We pray and we share, and we remember not to take ourselves so seriously that we forget to laugh at ourselves every once in a while.

�ank you for your continued prayers and support for Our Lady of Lourdes and for the young men and women who come to our school each day to live their faith, strive for academic excellence and work hard to serve God and one another.

Photo by Freed Photography

On a sad note, Mrs. Phyllis Cleveland, our beloved Little Group teacher for over 30 years, passed away on April 19. She enriched so many of our students’ lives with her humor, patience and beautiful piano-playing!

May you rest in peace in God’s loving arms, Mrs. Cleveland.

Last fall, we were honored to host class reunions for the Lourdes classes of 1966 and 1976. In a letter sent to Lourdes a�er the reunion, Mr. Kevin Hogan, Class of 1976, re�ected, “�e school seems so small now. It is hard to believe that our class of about 50, along with seven other grades, had the space necessary to learn and grow. But learn we did, and we grew to be accomplished and loving members of our communities.”

Our alumni had a wonderful time reconnecting with each other at their reunions. �ey recounted stories of their time at Lourdes and about the Sisters of Saint Francis who taught them. We all enjoyed hearing about the choir lo� that was located above our current gym, the clickers, the lunch periods during which the cafeteria tables were jam-packed with students and the three warning bells at recess (the �rst was a warning, the second was to line up and the third was to walk inside).

We are so thankful for all our Lourdes alumni and are blessed to have them return to Lourdes. Your time and accomplishments at Lourdes will forever be woven into the rich history of our school and parish.

If you would like to organize a class reunion, the Development O�ce is here to support your plans! We can provide you with your class list, arrange tours of the school, and help in a variety of other ways. Please contact Michela Donohue at mdonohue@bethesda-lourdes.org.

Our Lady of Lourdes School’s annual May Procession and May Crowning will take place in the Grotto on �ursday, May 11, 2017 at 8:45 am. We gather to honor Mary, the Patroness of our school and parish, as we crown the Queen of Angels during a devotional service presented by our eighth grade students.

Our devotional ceremony begins with a procession of our eighth grade students and our school’s First Communicants (dressed in their First Communion dresses and suits). At the end of the procession line is one girl from the eighth grade class, who is selected by her classmates, and given the honor of placing a beautiful crown of �owers on the statue of Our Lady during the ceremony.

As is the tradition at Our Lady of Lourdes School, all the participants present special readings and songs to honor Our Blessed Mother. �e readings include �e Magni�cat (Canticle of Mary), �e Memorare, �e Angelus, and �e Prayer to Mary, Queen of Peace. �e students sing several songs dedicated to Mary, including “Daily, Daily, Sing to Mary”, “Mary’s

Song”, “Bring Flowers of the Fairest”, “Hail Holy Queen”, and “Ave Maria”.

�e Our Lady of Lourdes students and parish community have participated in the May Procession and Crowning since the inception of the school in 1942. Mrs. Janet Brown Gean, Lourdes Class of 1959, sent us the following picture from 1951 and remembers, “In kindergarten, I was selected to walk beside the May Queen along with a classmate whose last name was Rowe, I think Kathleen. Our mothers made our dresses.”

We invite family, friends and alumni to join us in the grotto to share in this upcoming devotion, and we thank our current eighth grade class – and all previous graduating classes – for always presenting such beautiful May Crownings!

Lourdes Class of 1966 and Class of 1976 Celebrate Reunions

Class of 1966 Class of 1976

The Tradition Continues at Lourdes

Nathalia Martinez, a Lourdes sixth grader, created an extraordinary painting of Our Lady and presented it to the school. Nathalia is a juried artist who will show her work at several exhibits later this year. Monsignor Filardi blessed the painting and it currently hangs in the school library media center for all to enjoy. We hope that you will stop by to see this beautiful painting!

Our current 8th graders are quickly approaching their last few weeks of school. Each student is grappling with a host of emotions: fear, excitement, uncertainty, and joy. I am reminded at this time of year that education is truly a process that moves children from learning how to tie their shoelaces to being admitted to some of the most rigorous academic programs in the country. �is process of education works as long as we make sure we have the right teachers in the right classrooms, and as long as those teachers never stop believing in the children we teach.

All twenty-four students of our eighth grade class were accepted into at least one Catholic High School, and many were accepted into two or three schools. �e Lourdes Class of 2017 has been accepted into the following area high schools:

�is spring the Lourdes middle school drama club presented an entertaining rendition of Alice in Wonderland. For two nights, our stage was transformed into the madness of Wonderland with Alice chasing the White Rabbit, racing the Dodo Bird, getting tied up with the Tweedles, rapping with a bubble-blowing Caterpillar, and beating the Queen of Hearts at her own game! �e cast and audience had a great time singing along to “I’m Late,” “�e Unbirthday Song” and “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah.”

Here are a few snapshots from Alice in Wonderland –

Our Eighth Grade Class Receives High School Acceptances

�e Academy of the Holy CrossAPEX Program – Walter Johnson High School Bishop O’Connell High School Connelly School of the Holy Child DeMatha Catholic High SchoolGeorgetown Prepatory SchoolGeorgetown Visitation Prepatory School

Gonzaga College High SchoolElizabeth Seton High School �e Heights �e Maret School Our Lady of Good Counsel High School Saint John’s College High School Saint Vincent Pallotti High School

Remarkably, our students were o�ered over $500,000 in scholarships and merit tuition assistance for their four-year high school careers. Congratulations to our eighth grade students, their parents and their teachers for their success!

Our Lady of Lourdes Presents “Alice in Wonderland”

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School7500 Pearl StreetBethesda, MD 20814

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Upcoming Events at Lourdes

• 9th Annual Lions’ Roar Kate Truax 5K/1K and Family Picnic –

Saturday, April 29, 2017, 8 AM-12 PM. All alumni, families and friends are invited! Register today at bethesda-lourdes.org.

• May Procession and Mu�ns for Moms and Grandmothers – �ursday, May 11, 2017, 8:45 AM.

• Eighth Grade Graduation Mass and Reception – �ursday, June 1, 2017, 7 PM.

Stay Connected Update your contact information by email at alumni@bethesda-lourdes.org, on our website at bethesda-lourdes.org/alumni-contact-form.html or call the Lourdes front o�ce at 301-654-5376.