History

According to parish historians, in the spring of 1947 there was a cornfield, but by summer, there was the Church of the Little Flower. Fr. Raymond O'Connor was the founding pastor, a position he held until his sudden death in 1970.

For Fr. O’Connor, the education of children was a top priority. He enlisted two Dominican Sisters, including Sr. Mary Pauletta, who would become the school's first principal, to begin teaching religion to the children in January, 1948. Ground was broken for the new school in April, 1948. Because of construction delays, the Quonset church was used as a school for grades K through third. Three Dominican Sisters were assigned as Little Flower's first faculty. In addition to being principal, Sr. Mary Pauletta taught third grade; Sr. Mary Andrew, first and second grades; and Sr. Mary Regina taught kindergarten.

Little Flower Catholic School was dedicated in April, 1949. By September, grades four through eight were added and we boasted an enrollment of 189! Building additions, in the next two decades, accommodated increasing enrollment. The peak enrollment occurred in 1965-66, when 861 students attended Little Flower! 

In 1982, the second floor convent was remodeled, resulting in two large classrooms, enrichment rooms, and a library. The Parish Center was completed and dedicated in August, 1984. Two fourth grade classrooms were created in 1987 on the lower level, and we offered the option of all-day kindergarten beginning with the 1988-1989 school year!

In 1992-1993, the first pre-school program for three and four-year old children boosted enrollment to over 400. Pre-school enrollment was at capacity! In 1994, renovations resulted in a new expanded computer room, music room, and meeting room. A Junior High science lab was built for the start of the 1995-96 school year, thanks to Dr. & Mrs. F. Paul LaFata. 

In 1996, volunteers cabled the school to network all classrooms and instructional areas to the Computer Lab. By 1999, each classroom and instructional area had computers. A T-1 line was installed, providing internet connections for all instructional areas. 

In 2002-03, we acquired two new state of the art playground systems. Many visible improvements have been made to the Parish Center/Gym, including installation of the new floor, in 2008 and new bleachers in 2015. Promethean ActivBoards (smartboards) were installed throughout the building, between 2009-2012. The cafeteria kitchen was updated in 2011-12.  In the summer of 2013, major improvements were made using Capital Campaign funds.  The original bioler, which serviced both church and school, was replaced with two separate HVAC systems.  For the first time, the school building had central air conditioning! During the 2015-16 school year, the Library and administrative offices received new carpeting with funds from grands and gifts from Annual Fund donors.

Academically, Little Flower offers a state recognized curriculum, taught by a certified and highly qualified faculty.  Our teachers blend tried and true methods with Common Core strategies.  Among our textbook series are Benziger's "Blest Are We" (Jr. High Religion); "Saxon Math" and "Go Math"; McGraw-Hill "Reading Wonders" series; and the Shurley English Program.  Students may participate in Choir, Band, Student Council, the Parochial Speech Meet,  Art competitions, Scholastic Bowl and the Spring Musical. Our athletic program has grown to include basketball, baseball, volleyball, softball, cross-country and track. 

Our school family attends Mass each Wednesday, we provide sacramental preparation, we sponsor projects for the missions and the underprivileged, and we require service hours.

Weaving Christian values into daily curriculum, we continue to follow the rich history and tradition of the Dominican Sisters, our founders…”to praise, to bless, to preach.”