Five elementary schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore are among 356 schools nationwide to be recognized as National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. They represent 12.5 percent of all nonpublic schools recognized in the 2024 cohort of National Blue Ribbon Schools. For each of the five, the recognition was the second time national Blue Ribbon honors were awarded.
The Catholic Review takes a closer look at the local honorees and provides a sampling of a few extracurricular activities and more:
St. John the Evangelist School
Severna Park
St. John the Evangelist School is a “very family- and faith-focused community,” according to Principal Glenna Blessing.
“We have three tenets for our mission: faith, family and academics. The three of these are intertwined each day in the school,” Blessing said. “We start and end each day with prayer. We pride ourselves with connections with our families – parish families and school families.”
Teachers engage students in the classroom by creating innovative and exciting classes, Blessing said. The school’s 30-acre campus backs to an estuary, giving teachers and students a living environment education classroom “right in their backyard” with countless opportunities to explore, she said.
“Our outstanding teachers … make sure every student succeeds,” Blessing said.
A robust drama and music program provides every student from second to eighth grade an opportunity to step on a stage and perform, she said.
Founded: 1959
Grades: Preschool-eighth grade, 557 total students
Faculty: 72
Student/Teacher ratio: Varies
Principal: Glenna Blessing
Extracurriculars: Drama and music programs, STEM
Sports: Boys and girls soccer and basketball, girls field hockey, girls lacrosse.
St. Mary’s Elementary School
Annapolis
With a mission of community, service and enrichment, St. Mary’s blue ribbon status was “a natural outcome,” according to Megan Back, principal.
“Our sense of community and service with the Holy Spirit draws us into a closer collaboration,” Back said. “Our test scores are a testament to our mission driven enrichment to which students and teachers strive.”
Many extracurricular activities, from team sports such as basketball and lacrosse, to special interest groups such as art clubs, musical theater, robotics and STEM programs are available, Back said, and students are encouraged to start new clubs.
“There is something for everyone,” Back said. “Every interest can be met.”
A unique feature of the school is its emotional support animal, Biscuit. Named after a popular children’s book character, Biscuit is a golden retriever who provides “comfort to someone having a bad day or needs emotional support,” Back said. Students can also earn opportunities to walk and take care of the dog.
“Everyone loves her,” Back said. “Children come and read to her and spend time with her.”
Founded: 1862
Grades: Pre-K-eighth grade, 850 students
Staff: 50
Student/teacher ratio: 23 to 1
Principal: Megan Back
Extracurriculars: Choirs, spring musical, band, art club, robotics, STEM
Sports: Basketball for boys and girls, sixth through eighth grade; lacrosse for boys and girls grades seventh and eighth; volleyball for girls in sixth through eighth grade; cross country for boys and girls grades sixth through eighth; and soccer for boys and girls grades seventh and eighth.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help School
Ellicott City
What makes Our Lady of Perpetual Help unique, according to Kristie Lofland, assistant principal, is how students guide their “own instruction a little bit” in small group settings.
“Small groups give different opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning, their understanding,” Lofland said. “They do different types of activities.”
Lofland said the school’s above-average test scores in both reading and math speak to the students’ progress and the teachers who work with them.
Teachers, Lofland said, “meet students where they are and push them to think outside the box.”
Basketball is the school’s big sport, Lofland said, and the school’s spelling bee club is popular.
“We have been a winner two years in the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s spelling bee,” Lofland said. “We are hoping for a third-year win here.”
With a 20-year background in education in larger school systems, Lofland, who is in her second year at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, said “it really is a great school.”
“I couldn’t be more proud,” Lofland said. “It is really rewarding to work here.”
Founded: 1879
Grades: Pre-K-eighth grade, 200 students
Faculty: 21
Student to teach ratio: 9 to 1
Principal: Jonathan Pressimone
Extracurriculars: Battle of the Books, spelling bees, art club, chess club, jewelry club
Sports: Basketball, cross country through Angel sports.
St. Joseph School
Cockeysville
St. Joseph School offers students opportunities “to live their faith through service to others,” according to Maggie Bellamy, principal, so students can “share their gifts and blessings.”
“It does make us stand out,” Bellamy said, noting that service clubs meet regularly, and that middle school students work with the parish community on various projects.
“One program I really love is birthday packs,” Bellamy said, where students on their birthdays bring everything needed for a birthday party, including cake mix, icing, candles and plates, to donate to the Baltimore Hunger Project in Timonium.
She credits the school’s “exceptional teachers” for helping students develop independently by working with them one-on-one.
“It is a true credit to the teachers,” Bellamy said, of the school’s success, “the work the teachers put in and the time they spend.”
Students’ opportunities to live faith through service and prayer and to grow academically under the guidance of the school’s teachers, “makes us who we are,” Bellamy said.
The school offers a range of activities from soccer, basketball and lacrosse to art club and spelling bees. A new drama club will offer its “first drama performance in more than 10 years” in the spring, Bellamy said.
Founded: 1856
Grades: Pre-K-eighth grade, 376 students
Staff: 35 full-and-part-time educators and faculty
Ratio of students to teachers: 12 to 1
Principal: Maggie Bellamy
Extracurriculars: Spelling bee, yearbook club, Spanish club, book club
Sports: Girls and boys basketball and soccer, girls and boys middle school lacrosse teams
Immaculate Conception School
and built on a donated backyard trampoline frame. Once complete, an air compressor lifting the car will create movement that will simulate flying for the performances in April. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)
Towson
Principal Heather Cucuzzella believes what sets Immaculate Conception School apart is its “abundance of opportunity” for students to thrive as well as the school’s general “decorum” in the way it approaches its faith-based educational mission.
“We have a broad variety of activities that kids can tap into that we think helps form the whole person,” Cucuzzella said. “Extracurricular activities can become a little disjointed for families when they have to run from one rec program to another. It sets ICS apart that we offer everything from art to sports and theater here. It’s sort of a one-stop shop for families.”
Noting that parents are making a “huge commitment and a large investment” in Catholic education, she noted that the school’s programs are community-based and include parents.
“That also allows our students to see firsthand how involved and invested their parents are in their education,” she said. “Having a robust extracurricular program helps form better students. A student who might not be that strong in math or science can gain confidence from excelling in theater or sports. Then that student carries that confidence to the classroom and begins to thrive.”
Founded: 1887
Grades: Pre-K3-eighth grade, 602 students
Faculty: 50
Student to teacher ratio: 12 to 1
Principal: Heather Cucuzzella
Extracurriculars: Choir, instrumental and advanced bands, theater performances, robotics club, book club, dance company, scouts, STEM club, art club, chess club, campus ministry and math club
Sports: Soccer, lacrosse, golf, track and field, cross country, basketball
Gerry Jackson contributed to this report.
Email Katie V. Jones at kjones@CatholicReview.org
