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History of the School
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The History of St. Aloysius School The history of St. Aloysius School is a simple and interesting story. Like the biblical "grain of the mustard seed", our school has grown and flourished over the decades. In 1909 St. Aloysius parish welcomed a new pastor. Father William A Wachter, whose first priority was to establish a Parochial School. His dream became reality on September 2, 1913 when St. Aloysius School opened its doors to 178 pupils from first to eighth grades. In 1919, a two-year Commercial School was begun on the second floor. In 1950, under the direction of the pastor, Msgr. Begley, the second floor auditorium was converted to four additional classrooms. 1950 also brought the opening of the first cafeteria located in the basement of the old building. 1953 marked the opening of our local Catholic high school, which was founded on the second floor of St. Aloysius. Our school was home to the present-day St. Pius X High School until 1955. With enrollment increasing, the parish broke ground for the new school building in 1961, and a year later opened its doors to a total student body of 693 students and a faculty of 12 sisters and 3 lay teachers. 1963 saw the largest number of students. By 1967, it was necessary to add a second floor expansion to the new building. Under the pastoral care of Msgr. Michael Bednar, St. Aloysius School continued to grow during the seventies. Begley Hall was purchased in 1973 to serve as a cafeteria and gymnasium. The new school auditorium was converted to an extensive library, and the old cafeteria was transformed into our first Kindergarten opening in 1975/1976 with 45 students. 1981 marked a milestone in St. Aloysius history as our school received its first Middle States Accreditation. This self-study was renewed in 1991 and again in 2001. At the present St. Aloysius welcomes 323 students and a staff of over 25 each day. So many things have changed since 1913. We now offer: SMARTboard classrooms, a hot lunch program, provisions for busing, a computerized technology lab and library, an extensive gym and sports program, a state-of-the- art computer lab, an outstanding instrumental program, a monitored health room, and a before and after school CARES program. Yet, in spite of these changes, the true essentials remain the same: loyal parents, a supportive pastor, dedicated teachers, and most important - inquisitive young minds open to the message of Christ.
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