- Donna Craft
- June 22, 2023
- 11:14 am
Last week I shared some highlights from the school year just concluded. In this letter, we look forward to the year to come.
Overall, OLR’s enrollment will increase to over 300 students, nearing the maximum we can support in our existing buildings. The high school will reach 80 students, including 17 seniors! It is hard to believe that, with the 2023-2024 school year, our new Upper School program is already close to capacity.
In fact, many grades now operate on a waiting list. At present we are full at grades, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, and I expect a few others to fill before school begins in August. The next admissions cycling will likely be incredibly competitive.
Regrettably, I find we must now turn away wonderful Catholic families simply for lack of space. I often have room for one or two children but not all four the family needs to enroll. OLR is blessed to be in this strong position, but we also grieve for these unlucky families, many of whom are trying to relocate from a state or city that is inhospitable to their Catholic values.
With growth comes the chance to add new school activities. Middle school boys and girls soccer teams are the most recent athletics additions, joining established programs in basketball, volleyball, and cross country. In the performing arts, we will continue to develop our choral and band programs, but I am most excited to announce that our theatre department will mount our first full-scale musical this spring: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music!
Finally, we are proud to announce the introduction of a new comprehensive Enhanced Learning Program, which will provide expert intervention and remediation for students needing extra assistance in math or reading. This program bolsters OLR’s commitment to inclusivity, making Catholic classical education accessible to students with both diagnosed learning disabilities and everyday classroom struggles.
It’s exciting to grow, but growth also presents challenges to our infrastructure. Next week I’ll share how we hope to address those challenges long term.