A half-century ago, with a dream, $150,000 and a desire that “every Catholic child is entitled to a Catholic education,” Father Jeremiah Hartnett began a campaign to make a Catholic school a reality in Columbus.
This weekend the school will celebrate its 50th anniversary.
On Sept. 3, 1963, St. Mary’s Catholic School opened its doors. Nearly 200 students walked through the doors on that first day, Catholic and non-Catholic. There were 40 students in the first grade class alone.
Thirty years later, St. Mary’s changed its name to Annunciation Catholic School to better identify itself with its parent church, Annunciation Catholic Church. Since its inception, the school has grown from offering kindergarten through fifth grade classes to now offering education to children from Pre-K to eighth grade.
Annunciation principal Joni House said such a noteworthy anniversary shows “God is in control. ”
“For fifty years we have been offering a Catholic Education, which is known for achieving academic excellence and modeling Christian values, within the Golden Triangle Area,” House said. “This celebration illustrates the difference we make when God is in control.
“For the school to celebrate 50 years of enlightening minds and forming lives of a diverse student body means that our heritage and culture of family, faith, service, community, and commitment are timeless. It may be difficult for our current students to appreciate what 50 years means, but when the next milestone comes along in 25 or 50 years, they will realize the significance of this year’s celebration.”
Festivities will begin Friday with cocktail hour at Tampico Bay. A fun run, family picnic and evening celebratory event will be held Saturday, followed by a special mass Sunday morning.
For information on the events, visit www.AnnunciationCatholicSchool.org, or call 662-328-4479.
Sarah Fowler covered crime, education and community related events for The Dispatch.
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