“Be it known to all who enter here that Christ is the reason for this school.”

Our Lady of the Lake became a parish on September 16, 1923, with masses held in the Verona High School auditorium. On January 21, 1924, the groundbreaking ceremony for Verona’s first Catholic church was held on the Lakeside Avenue property and excavation began.

The cornerstone for the church was laid on April 13, 1924. The first masses in the new church building were held on May 29, 1924, with Rev. James J. Kelly as the celebrant. The new building had accommodations for classrooms and Our Lady of the Lake School opened with 120 students in September 1924. It was staffed by the Dominican Sisters of Caldwell with Sr. Mary DeRicci, O.P. as temporary principal and  Sr. Joyce Mannis, O.P. as principal from 1925 to 1931. Srs. Mary Petronella, O.P., Mary Josita, O.P.,  Fortunata, O.P., and Mary Robert, O.P.  were the first faculty members. The first graduation took place in June 1925.

Class of 1927 with Fr. Kelly

Class of 1931

The Dominican Sisters have been associated with our school since its inception. The Parish Review of December 1932 complimented the “good sisters of St. Dominic, who from the beginning have labored, in season and out of season, to edify, to train, to guide, and to counsel each individual child who had come and gone in the first nine years. The sacrifices which they have made on behalf of our children will never be known or appreciated by us until we all meet before the Supreme Teacher.”

Our Lady of the Lake School continued to grow and prosper. The increase in the parish population led to the construction of a second school building known as the Montrose Building, which was completed in 1952. There continued to be a marked increase in student enrollment and classes averaged over 60 students.

The Montrose building drawn by student, Matthew Foran
 

The decade of the sixties was also marked by the construction of a new church building. The first church was no longer able to accommodate the ever-increasing population of the parish, and a beautiful new edifice was completed in 1964. The “old church” was now converted into a gymnasium to accommodate physical education classes and the expanding sports program of the school. The “lower church”  became the auditorium which is used for parish and school functions.

The old church now: the gymnasium with the rafters known as “the sixth man.”

In 1973 the Caldwell Dominican sisters, after 49 years of dedicated service reluctantly decided to withdraw from the school. After conducting an intensive search for religious to staff the school, a parish committee secured the services of the Emmaus Community of Christian Hope. Several years later, the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters of Scranton, Pennsylvania were chosen to guide and teach at the school. Sr. St. Roger Pierce, I.H.M. became principal, followed by Sr. St. Monica and Sr. Fidelis Flannery. As vocations to religious life began to decrease and with an emphasis on lay participation in the church, opportunities arose for many educated and dedicated laymen and women in the classrooms of Catholic schools.  

In September 1990, after the Immaculate Heart of Mary community departed, a member of the Caldwell Dominicans was chosen to lead the school. All welcomed Sr. Mary Agnes Sullivan, O.P., who met the challenges of enrollment and finances with much success. Sister went on to serve the school and parish for 25 years, taking it into the new millennium.

Fr. Mike involved the students in varied service projects teaching them to be servants to one another. One of those projects was working with the Marine Corps League. The students learned the importance and value of veterans in our country’s freedom.

Embarking on the new millennium, Our Lady of the Lake School applied for and received Middle States accreditation in 2002. This was a testament to the successful academic program and increased use of technology which was a highlight of the required self-study. The school was reaccredited in 2012 and 2021 with the self-study again performed by a committee of faculty, staff, students, and parents.

Our Lady of the Lake School was proud to be the recipient of the United States Department of Education Blue Ribbon School of Excellence award in 2011 under the leadership of Sr. Mary Agnes Sullivan. The school received the award again in 2017 with principal Mr. Benjamin Ronquillo together with the dedicated, hard work of the faculty, staff, parents, and students. This honor is reserved for schools in the top 15% of the nation in standardized testing in mathematics and reading over a five-year period.

Blue Ribbon Presentations 2011 and 2017

In 2015, after 25 years of service, Sr. Mary Agnes retired from Our Lady of the Lake School and Parish. Sister was succeeded by principal Benjamin Ronquillo. On October 29, 2018, while brickwork was being done on the school building, a time capsule was uncovered near the cornerstone of the Montrose building. It contained newspaper clippings from September 1951, a rosary, Our Lady of Fatima holy card, and a letter from the pastor to whomever the pastor was when the capsule was discovered. Fr. D’Amico opened the capsule. Some items in the capsule are pictured below.

Time capsule newspaper article 1951
 

 
A letter from the pastor in 1951 to the pastor when the capsule might be discovered

Dominican Sisters faculty list in 1951 

Throughout the years, subject area resources have been acquired to remain current with updated curricula guidelines. This includes the implementation of 1:1 Chromebooks as well as updating the technology lab and a new media center. Classrooms are equipped with Promethean boards to enhance teaching and learning.

New library and media center
 

In March 2020, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought many challenges to school communities throughout the country. Under the leadership of principals Benjamin Ronquillo and James Carlo, these challenges were met by the Our Lady of the Lake faculty, parents, and students utilizing the remote learning platform, ZOOM. Unfortunately, many of the school's extracurricular activities had to be suspended. Returning to school wearing masks became mandatory until COVID-19 declined in frequency. All weathered the storm!

Technology lab
 

The student experience at Our Lady of the Lake School continues to be enhanced by several extracurricular activities including basketball, volleyball, competitive forensic speaking, TREPS (young entrepreneurs club), instrumental music, liturgical music, musical theater, chess club, and more. As a Catholic school, the emphasis on Christian charity is key in the formation of the student. Lake Serves is an initiative under the auspices of parents. Students are involved in sandwich making for the homeless, clothing and food drives, outreach to nursing homes, missions, and more. The students attend mass together once monthly and participate by lecturing, offertory presentation, and singing in the student choir. Students are also involved in the presentation of the Nativity, the Stations of the Cross as well as prayer services during the year. The faculty and staff continue to prepare the students to be responsible members of the Catholic church and society.

Lake Serves                     Band practice

Graduation ceremony    Nativity presentation

8th grade class trip to the Cloisters

Our Lady of the Lake School serves and welcomes a diverse population.  Non-parishioners and those of other faith traditions are welcomed and embraced. This is the message of Pope Francis and it is lived out at Our Lady of the Lake School.

On November 30, 2023, the inaugural cocktail reception was held to support the school as well as reminisce about the last 100 years. Faculty, staff, alumni students and parents, current parents, priests, and religious both present and former came together to celebrate our school. 

Celebrating at the inaugural cocktail reception

Looking forward to the next 100 years, we recall the vision of those, in 1924, who made Our Lady of the Lake School a reality. We offer prayers of thanksgiving for the clergy, religious and laity who served and continue to serve so faithfully to educate and spread the message of the Gospel. May God continue to bless Our Lady of the Lake School today and in the next 100 years.