Rancho Cordova, CA (MPG) - As it approaches the celebration of its 60^th anniversary, St. John Vianney Catholic School in Rancho Cordova is undergoing what may perhaps best be described as a “mini renaissance.”

Under the direction of Amy Hale, who took over as the school’s principal in July, St. John Vianney has revamped its logo and launched a local advertising campaign to attract new students to its current base of 217.  The number is down a bit from pre-recession times, as are many private schools across the region.

Hale launched both a Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday “camp” to help ease the burden for working parents.  Currently the camps are open to enrolled students only, although the school does offer an affordable summer camp open to the community.

“We wanted to make it easier on the parents of our students to continue a normal process of going to work and not having to worry about childcare as the holidays approached,” Hale said.

The curriculum for the school, which opened its doors in 1960 under the leadership of Monsignor Richard Dwyer, then Pastor of St. John Vianney Parish, also now boasts both an arts and music component, which are interwoven into its regular curriculum, which mirrors the California Common Core system. 

Hale identified funds being used to pay for non-essential programs and redirected them to support the addition of the two new programs, which combined with existing STEM courses, form the school’s STREAM program (science, technology religion, engineering, arts and math).

“When I got here, we didn’t have a music program and we didn’t have an arts program,” Hale said.  “So I identified money that was being spent kind of needlessly and redirected funds to hire a part time arts teacher who is offering art instruction and history.  We also have instruments now and a music program.  Many of our students are learning to play the ukulele and others and are loving it.”

In addition, students are now attending mass at 8 a.m. alongside parishioners, rather than a student-only mass at 10 a.m., creating more opportunities for inter-generational worship.

“I think it’s good for our parishioners, many of whom support our school through our annual fund and other donations, to worship alongside the students, and vice versa for the students,” Hale said.

Safety remains an ongoing part of Hale’s big projects and she intends to implement new programs involving campus security, including staff and student trainings and minor construction for the addition of extra windows to open up the visibility from within the school’s administrative offices.

“We do a great job here with safety and security, but we know we have to keep on top of trainings and do all we can to stay as current and relevant in that area,” Hale said.

The foundation of the school is the parish itself.  As a member Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, which serves 20 counties in Northern California, the emphasis on religious foundation in the Catholic faith is paramount and involves the study of scripture.  The school’s enrichment programs also offer Italian for grades K-5 and Spanish for grades 6-8.  There’s a rich sports program, too, which includes basketball, volleyball and golf and incorporates competitions with parochial and public schools across the community.

Finally, Hale wants to put St. John Vianney into the community and she’s begun by participating in this year’s tree lighting ceremony sponsored by the Police Activities League of Rancho Cordova.

“We are part of the community here and we want to show that to those who may not know anything about us,” Hale said.  “I think there’s a misperception out there that we are an all-white school.  But our school is a reflection of the diversity within the community.  We are open to all.”

Enrollment is open to all and tuition ranges between $4,455 a year to $5,930 for one child, depending on parish enrollment.  Tuition is waved for a fourth child and there is tuition assistance available.  In fact last year, Hale said, the school dispensed $63,000 in tuition assistance to families.

According to the school’s recent statistics, enrolled middle school students in 2017 achieved averages in math proficiency double those of surrounding public schools, with closely aligned averages for reading proficiency.  The 7^th and 8^th-grade percentages for math, for example, were 42% and 40% respectively, compared to 20% and 18% in nearby public schools, respectively.

So, how are all these changes being received by roughly 1,090 active parishioners and parents?

“We are lucky to have a very welcoming and generous parish,” Hale said.  But you have to tread carefully.  There’s a rule of thumb you want to try to follow when you come in as a new administrator and that’s ‘Don’t rock the boat,’” Hale said.  “But, when you can identify little things to make a big impact, it’s OK to start with a nudge.”

St. John Vianney School
10499 Coloma Rd.
(916)363-4610
OPEN HOUSE: Sunday, Jan. 28 from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
www.SJVSchool.org