Academy of Our Lady of Peace

✨ Two Schools, One Spirit✨
Last week, we celebrated the future Class of 2030 in the best way possible, together. 💙💜

For the first time ever, OLP and Saints teamed up for an Acceptance Party, and let’s just say… the vibes were immaculate.

From meeting future classmates and making new friends to nonstop laughter, dancing, and memories already in the making, it was a night to remember.

To the future : this is just the beginning. Your next chapter is looking pretty iconic already. 😎✨

Here’s to new friendships, shared traditions, and many more “Two Schools, One Spirit” celebrations to come.

God teaches us to be honest about life, about its suffering, its questions, its challenges and to move through it with Him. That is what our Christian journey is about.

The ashes we receive today remind us of our identity:
We belong to God.
We are seekers of truth.
We face life’s challenges with faith.

And we trust that after great suffering comes joy. “Struggle does not have the final say.” Thank you Father Brad for your moving homily.

Today we are invited to visit three sacred practices:
✨ Prayer – Even one extra minute a day. A quiet pause.
✨ Fasting – Not just from food, but from whatever distracts us from love: negativity, comparison, impatience. Making space for what truly matters.
✨ Almsgiving – Serving in a concrete way. Loving intentionally. Showing up for someone who needs encouragement, mercy, or support.

Lent is not about perfection, it is about remembering who we are. May this season draw us more deeply into the mystery of life, faith, and hope.

In today’s Where We Learn Wednesday, we visited our upperclassmen English class, Examining the Holocaust Through Literature. Students are reading the memoir Night by Elie Wiesel, a powerful firsthand account of the Holocaust. Through this memoir, students learn about the realities of the Holocaust and the lasting effects of antisemitism, while reflecting on the importance of remembrance, empathy, and standing against hate.

Last Friday, our OLP community came together for our Catholic Schools Week Prayer Service, a prayerful and reflective celebration of who we are as a faith community, honoring members of our community and naming our Valedictorian- Frances and Salutatorian- Anabelle. We celebrated our students’ dedication, leadership, and spirit, and recognized the incredible achievements of students across all grade levels.

Frosh Awards
The Mother Margaret Award in Leadership: Avianca
The Mother Margaret Award in Service: Riley
The Mother Margaret Award in Spirit: Frances Mari

Sophomore Awards
The Mother Catherine Award in Leadership: Maeve
The Mother Catherine Award in Service: Lyla
The Mother Catherine Award in Spirit: Ria

Junior Awards
The Mother Generosa Award in Leadership: Patricia
The Mother Generosa Award in Service: Ixchel
The Mother Generosa Award in Spirit: Amaya

Senior Awards
The Mother St. John Fontbonne Award in Leadership: Lillian
The Mother St. John Fontbonne Award in Service: Pryor
The Mother St. John Fontbonne Award in Spirit: Makena

Congratulations to our outstanding students for exemplifying courage, dedication, and the OLP spirit in all they do. We are so proud of each of you

🏆 AP Platinum. Again. 🏆

For the second year in a row we earned PLATINUM recognition on the AP School Honor Roll, the highest level possible.

📊 Class of 2025 by the Numbers:
✨ 80% of graduates took at least one AP course
🎓 65% earned college credit with a score of 3+
📚 19% completed 5 APs, including one in 9th or 10th grade
👩‍🎓 35 students met the College Optimization benchmark

This recognition reflects what AP looks like at OLP: accessible, supported, and thoughtfully designed! It’s about culture, confidence and preparing young women to meet challenge early, and rise to it.

💙💛 Congratulations to our students and faculty.

In AP Research, learning is hands-on, and sometimes delicious.

As students prepare to write the Methods section of their academic research papers, they took on a cookie-decorating challenge designed to highlight one essential research skill: writing clear, precise, and replicable procedures.

Students first designed and decorated an original cookie, then wrote step-by-step instructions for a peer to recreate it exactly. The results made one thing clear, details matter. The activity wrapped up with a friendly competition to see which replica most closely matched the original.

🏆 Top honors went to:
• Ava R. – Most precise original instructions
• Sofia S. – Best replication
• Maeve W. – Best overall design

The contest was judged by Ms. Helwig (Library Assistant) and Ms. Pham (IT Staff), making it a true community moment.

This is what college-level thinking looks like at OLP: creativity, precision, collaboration, and joy in learning.