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All about us
WELCOME TO ST. HELENA SCHOOL!
A
MIDDLE STATES ACCREDITED SCHOOL
Located in the north
central section of Philadelphia which borders on the Cheltenham
area of Montgomery County. St. Helena School serves a uniquely
diverse student population from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade
Eight. Founded in 1927, we are proud of our long history of
educating generations of children in the Olney section of
Philadelphia. We welcome and are proud of our multi-cultural
student population.
MISSION STATEMENT
We are committed to transmit
our Catholic Faith and Gospel values to the diverse student
population our school serves.
We strive to live and share
the Gospel of love by creating a loving, caring, warm and
welcoming environment for all of the children entrusted to us.
We strive for academic
excellence as we seek to integrate Gospel values into all areas
of the school curriculum and school life.
SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY
We believe that St. Helena
School is a Community of Faith whose primary mission is to
transmit the Gospel message, the teachings of the Catholic
Church and instill a sense of service in our students.
We believe that the religious
nature and purpose of our school must be reflected in an
academic program which strives for excellence and balance in the
student's intellectual, social, personal and physical areas of
development. This goal is best achieved in an atmosphere which
is truly Christian, faith-filled, aesthetic, orderly, permeated
with Christian values and enhanced by the living witness we
provide as Catholic educators and role models. Therefore, we are
responsible to be just, fair, kind and compassionate in our
relations with students while maintaining a well-ordered,
disciplined atmosphere tempered with understanding and permeated
with Gospel love.
We are committed to grow as a
Community of Faith and desire to incorporate parents, students
and all co-workers into an open, cooperative and mutually
supportive Faith Community.
We follow the policies and
directives of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in the development
of the management and educational policies, curriculum offerings
and teaching procedures for St. Helena School. We believe that
the needs of our students are the primary consideration in
determining the methods and materials of instruction which will
enable our students to achieve their potential.
As Catholic educators we
commit ourselves to these beliefs.
SCHOOL HISTORY
On Tuesday, September 6, 1927,
the doors of the new St. Helena School opened to welcome 438
students. With the appointment of six Sisters of St. Joseph to
undertake the education of the children, the mission of Catholic
education in the new parish of St. Helena officially began.
The parish population in this
far northern part of the city known as Olney grew rapidly and
soon necessitated the building of a basement church. In 1936 the
conversion of the first floor of the school building where the
church was located, into six additional classrooms was
completed.
The continued expansion of the
Olney section of Philadelphia necessitated the construction of
an additional school building which opened in September, 1959 to
accommodate 1,350 children then enrolled in the school. In 1965
continued growth necessitated the complete renovation of the
older school building, and renovations and the building of an
additional floor to the newer building. By 1967 thirty-two
classrooms were in use to meet the "peaked" enrollment
of approximately 1800 students.
Growth, which characterized
the first fifty years of St. Helena School, gradually gave way
to changes in demographics, society, mores, and the post Vatican
II Church. These changes over the years are reflected in the
present school enrollment, staffing, ethnicity, finances and
building utilization. A predominately lay faculty now staffs the
school which was originally entirely staffed by Sisters of St.
Joseph. A culturally diverse student enrollment of 340 children
has replaced the predominately Irish and German original student
population. Lower enrollment has made space available for
technology and other specialized areas of the school curriculum
and Kindergarten and Pre-K programs.
St. Helena School will soon be
celebrating eighty years of Catholic Education. Proud of its
history and grateful for the blessings of the past, our present
dedicated faculty and staff continue to meet the challenge of
change and the mission of Catholic education in the new
millennium.
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