
Archbishop Thomas Connelly canonically established St. Vincent
de Paul Parish on November 21, 1961. At that time approximately
300 families were parishioners. In 1963, construction plans
called for a church, a hall, and a CCD center. When the Sisters
of Notre Dame said that their community could staff a parish
school, permission was given to expand the parish to include a
school and convent.
St. Vincent de Paul School first opened its doors on September
9, 1964. In less than desirable conditions, the staff of
sisters, led by Sister Dolores, instructed grades four through
seven. Students were seated at folding tables and chairs and
kept warm with portable heaters. In 1966, the school graduated
34 eighth graders. By 1968, with the parish growing quickly, the
school expanded to include first, second, and third graders.
In 1970 parish growth and finances were a concern. The school
cut back to only six grades while maintaining its full
enrollment of 240 students. Without the junior high program,
there was concern for continuity of Catholic education between
sixth grade and high school. Once parish debt was under control,
parents’ dreams were fulfilled, and the decision to reinstate
the seventh and eighth grades was made in December 1986. After a
fundraising campaign to cover the cost of creating classroom
space, seventh and eighth grade portables were dedicated in 1989
and opened to the first seventh grade class in nearly 20 years.
The eighth grade followed in 1990.
Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s, St. Vincent de Paul Parish
grew and was in need of a larger church facility to accommodate
its population. In 1996, St. Vincent’s dedicated a new church
building. The old church space was converted to a gym, the
sacristy to a small music room, and the bride’s and groom’s
rooms to an additional classroom. In 2001, an all-wood floor was
installed in the gym. The renovation of the building was funded
largely through the efforts of school families.
The school has twelve homerooms. The campus includes two
portables, a library, a computer lab, a music room, a gym, a
faculty lounge, a health room, administrative offices, and an
additional classroom used for a variety of classes. Students use
the parish social hall as a lunchroom. The facilities are used
by parishioners for CCD, Grapevine, Life Teen, and CYO
activities and classes.
New facilities were opened in the fall of 2003. Two rooms were
added to the existing school building, which house a
kindergarten and science lab. A second story was added to part
of the church building, which house a larger library and
computer lab. Hallway and lobby areas are connected to all of
the new rooms. The previous library space was converted to a
music room, and the former computer lab/health room was
converted to accommodate a larger health room and a teacher work
room.
In 2004, our school was accredited by the Northwest Association
of Accredited Schools and the Western Catholic Education
Association. |