History of St. Luke Elementary School
The history of St. Luke School is closely
associated with the beginning of St. Luke Parish. In July 1946, the parish was established and in September 1947, a
temporary school was founded. The first pastor, Rev. James Hourihan, and his parishioners aimed at fulfilling the words
of Jesus, "Suffer the little children to come to me, for of such a Kingdom of Heaven." Realizing the advantage
of a Catholic education for their children, they deemed no sacrifice too great to accomplish the founding of a school. To construct a permanent school was out of the question because St. Luke Parish was heavily in debt. Plans
for a temporary school were drawn up. The assistance of Father Harry Meade of North Hollywood had just constructed a
beautiful school and had at his disposal frame classrooms, which were originally arm barracks. He offered them to the
people of St. Luke Parish without any recompense. In due time they were moved to the property at Cloverly and Broadway
and the men from the Holy Name Society worked to remodel the rooms. One hundred and eighty children were enrolled in
the first six grades. The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary accepted the invitation to teach
and administrate in the new school. On September 13, 1947 the school opened for operation. In
1956 the North Wing of the permanent school, with eight classrooms, was completed. With increase in school enrollment, larger
quarters were built. Fourteen classrooms were in operation, eight in the North wing and six in the new wing. Within
two years, sixteen classrooms were used by over 800 children. It was the hope of the parishioners that these facilities
would adequately care for the educational needs of the children of St. Luke School. The old temporary classrooms were
remodeled to serve as our parish hall. In 1957 grass was planted and a fence constructed along
Live Oak and Cloverly for the safety of the children. On June 30, 1969, the Immaculate Heart Sisters
withdrew from St. Luke School. Some Sisters continued to staff the school. The Sisters were assisted by a qualified
and able lay teaching staff who served a total enrollment of approximately 300 students in grades one through eight.
As time went on, there was a drop in enrollment due to the fact that the Archdiocese asked that where there are double classrooms
of each grade, one class be dropped each year. Since 1978 there have been single classes for grades one through eight.
In 1988 an extra classroom was converted into a computer lab, with the Writing-to-Read Program
beginning in 1989. In 1990 the first lay principal in the school's history was appointed. This marked the
beginning of St. Luke School being staffed entirely by lay personnel. In 1991, the school was renovated, including the
installation of air conditioning, new lighting, paint, carpeting, and windows. In addition, several classrooms were
converted to establish a science lab, an art room, and a staff workroom.
In the same year, the Sisters of
the Immaculate Heart of Mary withdrew their residency at St. Luke Parish, and in 1992, the convent was converted into a Parish
Administrative Center (PAC Office). In November of 1993, the new parish hall opened, and the school's new asphalt
playground and sand play area was completed. Since its foundation in 1947, St. Luke School
has been committed to a quality Catholic education. |
