Georgia Bulletin

The Newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta

  • Second grade teacher Karen Hoban, standing, begins each day of class at St. John Neumann Regional School, Lilburn, by praying a decade of the rosary with her students. On August 5, the first day of school, they prayed the first joyful mystery, the Annunciation. Hoban, who is also the product of a Catholic school education, graduated from Atlanta’s Christ the King School and St. Pius X High School. Photo By Michael Alexander
  • Smartphones and selfies go hand in hand on the first day of school. Andrea Schmidt takes one with her son Owen, a first-grader in Olga Hicks’ class at St. John Neumann Regional School, Lilburn. Looking on and standing by are younger siblings Ellie, seven-months-old, and two-year-old Jake. Owen also has an older brother in the school’s fourth grade. Photo By Michael Alexander
  • During Holy Redeemer School’s August 5 meet and greet, kindergarten teacher Jessica Verar, left, shares a humorous moment with six-year-old Logan Wise, a new student at the Johns Creek Catholic school. Looking on are his parents James and Jessica. Photo By Michael Alexander
  • Elvira Mujkic hugs her daughter, Ashley Sanchez-Mujkic, on the first day of school in Ashley's first grade classroom at St. John Neumann Regional School, Lilburn. Photo By Michael Alexander
  • After receiving some tutelage from returning students, Daniel Barber, right, and Alec Devlin, standing, Joseph Contreras, center, a new student at Holy Redeemer School, looks back toward his parents upon successfully opening his school locker. Photo By Michael Alexander
  • Father Kevin Hargaden, left, pastor of St. Matthew Church, Tyrone, and Father John Koziol, OFM Conv., pastor of St. Philip Benizi Church, Jonesboro, were on hand for the first day of school at Our Lady of Victory. Father Hargaden’s parish and the school share the same grounds, and several families from Father Koziol’s parish also attend the school. Photo By Diane Starkovich, Ph.D.
  • Seated next to her mother, Tammy, in her kindergarten classroom, Ava Welles, a new student at Holy Redeemer School, Johns Creek, proudly shows off the school license plate that will likely go on her mother’s vehicle. Photo By Michael Alexander
  • St. John Neumann Regional School kindergarten students Joshua Marquez, foreground, and Lanier Davis pause from socializing to participate in morning prayer with the other students in Joan Travis’ classroom, and in solidarity with students throughout the entire school. August 5 was the first day of school for St. John Neumann pupils. Photo By Michael Alexander
  • (L-r) Holy Redeemer middle school teacher Jerry Beck, left, goes over the class schedule with seventh-grader David Jimenez. Looking on is Jimenez’s mother Catherine. David, a student at the school since kindergarten, is the last of four Jimenez children to attend the Johns Creek Catholic school. Beck has been teaching for 31 years, and this is his 20th year at Holy Redeemer. Photo By Michael Alexander
  • During Holy Redeemer School’s August 5 meet and greet, Kathy Bobar, left, stands by as Holy Redeemer School principal Lauren Schell, right, welcomes back returning students like her twin girls, Brooke and Bailey. The Bobar twins, who have been students at the school since kindergarten, will be sixth-graders this year. Photo By Michael Alexander
  • On the first day of school, August 5, at St. John Neumann Regional School, Lilburn, five-year-old Aurora Wyatt, center, formally introduces herself to her kindergarten teacher, Nicole Roemer, right. Wyatt and Roemer share something in common. They’re both new to St. John Neumann for the 2019-2020 school year. Photo By Michael Alexander

Second-grade teacher Karen Hoban, standing, begins each day of class at St. John Neumann Regional School, Lilburn, by praying a decade of the rosary with her students. On Aug. 5, the first day of school, they prayed the first joyful mystery, the Annunciation. Hoban, who is also the product of a Catholic school education, graduated from Atlanta’s Christ the King School and St. Pius X High School. Photo By Michael Alexander

Atlanta

It’s back-to-school time for Catholic school students

By MICHAEL ALEXANDER | Published August 8, 2019

ATLANTA—The Georgia Bulletin was present for the first day of school, Aug. 5, at St. John Neumann Regional School in Lilburn. Our Lady of Mercy High School, Fairburn; St. John the Evangelist School; Hapeville; St. Joseph School, Athens; St. Mary’s School, Rome; and St. Pius X High School, Atlanta, also opened that day for the 2019-2020 school year.

The Bulletin also made a stop by Holy Redeemer School, Johns Creek, on Aug. 5. On that day, the school hosted a teacher meet and greet for new students and their families at 9 a.m., and one for returning students and their families at 10 a.m.

The following day, Aug. 6, Holy Redeemer joined Blessed Trinity High School, Roswell; Our Lady of Victory School, Tyrone; St. Peter Claver Regional School, Decatur; and St. Thomas More, Decatur, in opening its doors for the first day of school.

The first day for students at Immaculate Heart of Mary School, Atlanta; Queen of Angels School, Roswell; St. Catherine of Siena School, Kennesaw; St. Joseph School, Marietta; and St. Jude the Apostle School, Sandy Springs, took place on Aug. 7.

Two of the remaining 18 archdiocesan Catholic schools, Our Lady of the Assumption and Christ the King, open Aug. 12 and Aug. 26, respectively.

Thirteen of the 18 archdiocesan schools have been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence.

If you include the six independent Catholic schools (Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High, Atlanta; Holy Spirit Preparatory School, Atlanta; Marist School, Atlanta; Monsignor Walter J. Donovan High School, Athens; Notre Dame Academy, Duluth; Pinecrest Academy, Cumming) total enrollment for all 24 Catholic schools this year is estimated to be around 11,300 students.

Diane Starkovich, Ph.D., superintendent of Catholic schools, shares a back-to-school column on Advanced Placement versus dual enrollment programs for Catholic students.

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