History & Tradition
In 1858, Saint John the Evangelist Catholic School started
humbly in a small frame building located in Hydes, Maryland. Over the next 90
years, there were intermittent periods where the school was not fully
operational. In 1947, a one room school
house which was run by the School Sisters of Notre Dame was opened on the
current site in what is now the Knights of Columbus Building. The original
brick school house was constructed in 1950 with additions coming in 1957 and
1991. Throughout that time, the school thrived and became a valued part of the
St. John the Evangelist Parish community. In the early 1990s, preschool was
added to the kindergarten to eighth grade program. Extended day care was added
shortly thereafter providing the community with a complete educational
opportunity. The current school facilities consist of the main brick school
building, the Learning Cottage that houses the preschool, and the Music House
that is used for music instruction and after care.
The school commenced operation as an Archdiocesan
Collaborative School within the 2011-2012 academic year with a name change to
St. John the Evangelist School, Long Green Valley.
This model combines the benefits of local centralized governance with the added benefit of local community involvement while maintaining a sense of ownership and decision-making at the local level. The deliberative board assists in leadership and makes key decisions on budget, development and strategic planning. The collaboration of the Canonical Representative, Principal, and School Board drives the advancement of the school.
St. John was selected by the Healey Education
Foundation in the fall of 2014 to be a part of their Catholic School
Development Program. In this three-year partnership the school receives
guidance from a Director of Schools along with financial support through
grants. With the motto of "Helping Schools Help Themselves," the
Healey Foundation focuses on enrollment management, development, and school
board governance. The first task for the school was to hire a full-time
advancement director to focus on enrollment, retention, and development.
The majority of the student body is comprised of Catholic
families. Since the school is located in Baltimore County yet very close to the
Harford County line, the student population reflects the demographics of the
people living in these two neighboring areas both in terms of race and
economics.
The school currently has a student enrollment of 167 with an
average of 17 students per class. Because of the schools physical size, the
school will only have one of each grade with class sizes maxing out at 25. This
allows for a unique opportunity to individualize instruction because of the 9:1 teacher to student ratio, innovative teaching, and classroom technology
that incorporates a blended learning model.