SCHOOL OF THE ANGELS RETURNS TO ROOTS IN VOLKER
In the protective shadow of Guardian Angels Church on Mercier Street stands a 1950s-era tan brick building that once housed the parish school, its students educated by religious sisters who lived in the convent just to the north. In the 1990s, after the consolidation with the parochial school at Redemptorist parish on Broadway at Linwood Boulevard, the now-vacant structure became the secular Plaza Academy.
Now in its rebirth as Our Lady of the Angels School under the auspices of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, it typifies the changes that over time have replaced the traditional model of Catholic private, parish-centered education.
The nuns are gone, although they still maintain a small community in the nearby convent residence. Today, they have been replaced by lay teachers.
Consolidation of formerly distinct parish schools means that now the School of Our Lady of the Angels serves students from seven midtown Kansas City, Missouri parishes plus 20 families on the Kansas side of the metroplex. There are non-Catholic students as well, from families who want their children to experience the academic emphasis, moral values and safe environment the school provides.
The curriculum might be described as basic, but contemporary technology is not left out; four “smart” classrooms are equipped with computers, digital projectors and screens.
Principal Mary Delac, now in her third year, reflects the youthful professionalism of her faculty. In classroom after classroom, there is order and attentiveness to learning. Students wearing uniforms of navy or white shirts or blouses, khaki or navy slacks (girls have the option of plaid or navy skirts) are respectful and take the momentary intrusion of a visitor in polite stride.
There are currently 178 pupils in kindergarten through eighth grade. Although most start in the fall, transfer students can be admitted throughout the school year depending on available spaces.
There are plans to make the school even better. A prime area for improvement is safety on the playgrounds. “Some drivers use the recreation area between church and school to cut through from Terrace to Mercier streets,” says Ms. Delac. “We hope to install gates to block off that access.” School zone warning signs are another safety upgrade that would reduce potential hazards from vehicular traffic.
Improvements take money of course, money that tuition is not enough to cover. So fund raising, while not a formal element in the curriculum, engages pupils and their families in events such as the annual Eagle Walk, which took place this year on October 30th. Donors pledge money to students who walk a specified distance on a course in Loose Park.
Volunteerism also plays an essential part in maintaining the operation. Parents are recruited for services such as routine building maintenance, tutoring in computer skills and serving as mentors. Volunteers working with students undergo a background investigation and complete a three-hour training course produced by the Diocese of Kansas City –St. Joseph.
Through attention to details such as the welfare of its students, The School of the Angels has been successful since it opened three years ago. Information about quality education in the urban core is eagerly sought by anxious parents, and as Mary Delac observes, “Word of mouth is our best referral.”
-Rick Leidig
