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Good Shepherd School at 50

'These kids are great. They’re absolutely great.'

By L’Oreal Thompson

Posted 3/06/09

The faculty, staff and students at Good Shepherd Catholic School in Perryville start their school day the holy way with a prayer service every morning.

Scott Williams, the principal at Good Shepherd, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, began Wednesday’s prayer service at 9:45 a.m. because of a two-hour delay.

Students in grades pre-kindergarten through eighth welcome him.

“Good morning, Mr. Williams,” they say in unison.

After wishing fourth-grader Kierstin Neary a happy 10th birthday, the students listen to a teacher play the piano and two sixth-graders, Lindsay Smith and Holly Fergusen, play the violin during the prayer service.

“Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ,” the students sing, dressed in their green and yellow uniforms.

Afterward, Williams announces a couple of prayer intentions — one for a death in the family of a teacher and another for a student’s sick dog — and the students begin to recite the Lord’s prayer.

“Our Father, who art in heaven ...”

The students pray with their eyes closed, heads bowed and hands together.

“Amen.”

Then the students recited the Pledge of Allegiance before going off to class.

“It’s a very nice way to start the day,” Williams said after the prayer service.

Before beginning the school day, Williams explained the purpose of the prayer service.

“I think it gives them an opportunity to pray for things that are important in their life and how prayer is important in their own lives,” Williams said. “It brings the community sense we stress here.”

Community is a very important part of the curriculum at Good Shepherd, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this school year.

“We had a celebration dinner in September and we’re currently organizing something for the spring,” Williams said.

According to Williams, the Sisters of St. Joseph in Philadelphia, Pa., founded the school in 1958.

“It began in what used to be the convent across the street,” Williams said, pointing to the Good Shepherd Church across Aiken Avenue. “It was a lot smaller than today.”

Today, Good Shepherd is a second home to 140 students and nearly 20 faculty and staff.

According to Williams, the majority of students live in Perryville and other parts of Cecil County, such as Rising Sun. Some of the students also come from the Havre de Grace area.

“Our student body runs the gamut of all educational areas. We have strong students, but we’re not a school for the elite,” Williams said. “We have all economic backgrounds. It’s a very diverse group of students.”

Even with its growth, the school maintains small class sizes. The student-to-teacher ratio is about 8-to-1, according to Williams.

“We want to maintain a small student-to-teacher ratio without compromising the goal of education,” Williams said. “Yes, we want to grow, but we’re conscious of our growth.”

Sharon Hodges, who teaches third grade and is also the assistant principal, would like to see the school grow as well.

“Of course, I’d like for it to grow,” Hodges said. “I like to watch the children go through the grades. I’d like to continue the work we’ve started and make it better than it is.”

Williams also said the key to stability for a Catholic school is to build enrollment.

The school is currently enrolling for grades pre-kindergarten through eighth for the 2009-2010 school year.

The in-parish tuition for one child is $4,090 for the 2009-2010 school year. Families who are registered parishioners of Good Shepherd Church in Perryville or St. Patrick’s Church in Havre de Grace are eligible for the in-parish tuition.

Out-of-parish tuition is $5,190 for one child for the 2009-2010 school year.

“Our tuition, this year, we’re trying to keep it as low as possible because of the economy,” Williams said. “So far, registration has gone really well. Parents are especially appreciative.”

Williams is especially looking forward to the future of Good Shepherd.

“We’ll continue to make sure we provide as strong an education as we possibly can,” Williams said.

One of Williams’ main goals is maintaining the Catholic identity of the school.

“Basically we want to educate children in the Gospel of Christ,” Williams said. “We want to have high academic strength and educate the students’ character and educate their intellectual side.”

Another goal is producing responsible citizens of the world.

“Our goal is to produce kids of character who make right decisions,” Williams said. “We send them off into the world knowing right from wrong.”

Williams said the key to Good Shepherd’s success is the support of the Rev. Jay R. McKee of the Good Shepherd Parish.

“He’s been nothing but supportive,” Williams said.

Parent involvement is also a key ingredient in the recipe for success, according to Williams.

“The support of the families pretty much makes this happen for us,” Williams said. “They come in and volunteer. We have unbelievable parent involvement.”

Parents are often in and out of the school all day, Williams said.

“We value having them,” he said.

Williams also credits a part of Good Shepherd’s success to the personnel.

“The faculty and staff are incredibly supportive,” Williams said. “It’s not uncommon to see the parking lot full at 5 or 6 [p.m.]. They’re a very dedicated group.”

It appears as though the faculty and staff enjoy their jobs as well.

“I love the kids,” said Mary Kay Harman, who is the administrative assistant. “The parents are great, it’s like family here.

“These kids are great. They’re absolutely great. They treat you with respect. It’s a different atmosphere.”

In the third-grade classroom, Hodges couldn’t agree more.

“I like the children and their families,” Hodges said. “It’s a wonderful atmosphere. It feels like home. It’s very safe and a good place for children. They like school and if they like school, they do good.”

Julie Toothe, the pre-kindergarten assistant, thinks of the school as a family.

“The family feeling you get when you walk in, I love it,” Toothe said.

On Wednesday, the pre-kindergarten students bring in objects for show and tell. This week, the kids brought in “crazy hats” as a part of Dr. Seuss Week to celebrate Seuss’ 105th birthday.

Raegen Dent, 5, brought in “Happy Birthday” Mickey Mouse ears from Disney World.

Later in the day, Toothe will read Seuss’ book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”

Lisa Snyder, the pre-kindergarten teacher, asked the students if they could go anywhere in the world, where would they go.

Raegen proudly said he would go to an ice cream shop.

“They’re adorable. You miss them even when you don’t seem them on the weekends,” Toothe said.

When Williams walks into the first-grade classroom, he is treated like a rock star.

First-grader Gabby Kirk gave Williams a picture she drew of Good Shepherd School.

“Mr. Williams, I made this for you,” Gabby said.

Williams smiled.

“I try to display as many as I can,” Williams said, referring to his collection of student-made artwork.

Another first-grader ran to give Williams a hug.

Williams, a native of Pennsylvania, has been at Good Shepherd for 12 years.