The History of MIS
Mary Immaculate School (MIS) was opened in September 1959 by Rev. Robert Vreteau, O.M.I., pastor of Mary Immaculate Parish. The school initially consisted of several “temporary” buildings which would actually remain in use for about twenty years. As the school grew, multiple buildings were added to accommodate growth. In the 1960s, permanent offices and several classrooms were built. In the 1980s, the present Parish Hall was built to serve as a gym, cafeteria, and social center. In the 2000s, the new sanctuary and church offices were built, and the old sanctuary and church offices were converted into a gymnasium, art room and school offices. At this time, the Parish Hall was also renovated and updated. Then, in 2012 the art room was converted into a dual purpose art room and science center. Mary Immaculate School presently includes grades kindergarten through eighth. There are three kindergartens housed in the kindergarten wing. There are also three classrooms each for first, second, and third grades in the primary wing. Upstairs in the intermediate wing are two each of fourth, fifth, and sixth grade classrooms. Two seventh and two eighth grade classrooms are in the middle school wing. Mary Immaculate School was originally staffed by Benedictine sisters as well as lay teachers. In 1971, staffing the school was placed in the hands of the Incarnate Word sisters, who remained until 1980. Since then, the school has been entirely staffed by lay employees. A campus minister was added in 2013 to increase the pastoral/ministerial presence at Mary Immaculate School, further enabling us to continue to fulfill our school mission to provide academic excellence in a Catholic and Christ-centered environment. The school has a tradition of growth that is matched by strong volunteerism and giving. An annual giving campaign addresses a tuition gap and feeds funds into an endowment to help ensure the future of Catholic education at Mary Immaculate School. In each of the past three years, this endowment—which in 2011 reached a $1 million goal four years earlier than originally planned—has been supported by over 82% of the current school families. The $650,000 renovation of gym, art room, and offices in 2007 was financed entirely through the financial and physical efforts of parish, alumni and school families; and the $250,000 renovation of art room and science center in summer 2012 was also done without incurring bank debt. In 2012-13, over $100,000 was focused on security improvements for the school, which included a remodeled front entry with camera security system, a visitor management system, and magnetic locking door plus new double-keyed doorknobs for every classroom. Technology is addressed and upgraded on an annual basis, with purchases within the last three years of a wireless network, Direct TV, a Weatherbug weather station, and interactive whiteboards in every classroom. Mobile laptop and iPad labs on wheels were added in summer 2012, as well as digital microscopes with probes and sensors that feed information directly to the laptops. Mary Immaculate School has changed much over the years, but the school’s mission to provide academic excellence in a Catholic and Christ-centered environment remains the same. In 2008, the U.S. Department of Education recognized Mary Immaculate School as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, and the school’s priority to provide the best Catholic education possible continues.
