The History of St. Ursula School

 

St. Ursula School opened on September 9, 1940 with an enrollment of 146 children in grades one through three. The first grade had 63 students in one class. The building itself was already being used as the church and rectory. A gas station located on the corner of Manns Avenue and Harford Road was purchased which served as a classroom the first year of the school. In 1941 the rectory was built, so the priests moved out of the school. There were now four additional classrooms on the second story. Sister Rita Ursula, the principal, and four other Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur had commuted daily from their convent at Ilchester, Maryland. Thankfully a convent was purchased at 9006 Harford Road where they could walk the two blocks to school. This was their home for thirteen years.

 

The school continued to grow. In 1946, the first class graduated from St. Ursula. There were ten sisters and 542 students, with an average class size of 70 students per classroom. North and south wings were added to the original building in 1948. This created ten additional classrooms and two halls. The students graduating from St. Ursula in 1948 had attended all eight years at the school. In 1953 the convent was built to house the sisters and work began on the new church at the corner of Harford Road and Putty Hill Avenue. Although this allotted more room at the school, the space was quickly filled.

 

The Parkville community including St. Ursula Parish continued to expand at a great rate. In 1959, there were 15 sisters and 12 lay teachers. An addition was built that included a nurse’s room and dental office. In 1962, there were 1,468 students with 17 sisters and 12 lay faculty. Enrolled finally peaked at 1488 in the 1960’s. In 1968 an auditorium, kitchen, meeting rooms, storage rooms, and office were added to handle the increase.

 

In 1971, the sisters of Notre Dame de Namur announced their decision to withdraw from St. Ursula School but continue to minister to the parish. Enrollment was decreasing and there was fear that the school might close. Fr. McGowan, the Pastor, made arrangements with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill to administer and staff the school for the next thirteen years. Enrollment continued to increase and stabilized with a total student population of 400. In 1985 the Sisters of Sr. Joseph announced their decision to withdraw from St. Ursula. The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur returned to staff the school and in 1986 Sr. Joan Kelly became principal of St. Ursula School.

 

In 1986, the enrollment of the school was at an all time low of 370 students. Also, in 1986 the inception of the Saint Ursula School Board instituted long range planning for the school. With the beginning of our Kindergarten Program, in September 1987, the enrollment increased. The first year we had one morning, one afternoon, and one full day program. Within two years we added another full day kindergarten, thus having one morning, one afternoon, and two full day classes. As the kindergarten classes reached each successive grade level, we added a third homeroom in each grade. Not only did this steadily increase enrollment but also required additional classroom space. This increase necessitated the need to move the Library to Meeting Room 1 in 1993.

 

An Extended Day Program opened in 1987 to provide before and after school care for the Saint Ursula School students. In 1990, a computer teacher was hired. With the help of numerous volunteer parents, the entire facility was wired for the Internet in 1998. A full-time Spanish teacher was hired in 1995. Spanish is currently being taught to students in grade one through eight.

 

In the year 2000, we had an enrollment of 758 students being taught in a Catholic Christian environment by 40 dedicated lay faculty, 1 sister, and Sister Joan Kelly, SND, our principal. Saint Ursula School continues to strive to meet the needs of our school families. We look forward to celebrating our 70th Anniversary in 2010.

 

---

The Charism of St. Ursula School

 

The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur were founded by St. Julie and in the sixty plus years of presence to the school/parish her charism has grown. When speaking of our relationship with God, she said, "as a sunflower follows the sun, so should we always turn to our good God." Today visitors to St. Ursula School will see many signs of sunflowers and they will hear God is good, all the time!

Who is Saint Julie?

Saint Julie Billiart and Françoise Blin de Bourdon formed the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Julie overcame many difficulties in her life including being paralyzed after an attempt on her father’s life. Julie suffered physical pain and religious persecution. Difficulties in France led to the congregation moving to Namur, Belgium. Julie was known for her relationship with God and her prayer life. In 1969 Julie was named a saint by the Catholic Church. At Saint Ursula School we praise God with the words of Saint Julie, "Oh, how good is the good God!"

 

For more information on Saint Julie click here: Sisters of Notre Dame—St. Julie

 

---