Letter from Principal
Welcome to St. Gerard School, where families find an exceptional balance of traditional values and cutting-edge educational experiences. As a quality Catholic Christian school, we are here to guide our students’ development in all areas of their lives – spiritual, moral, intellectual and physical – with love, respect and understanding.
Parents who visit our school for the first time are amazed and impressed by the courses and extracurricular offerings our 545 students enjoy. Yet some of the most remarkable aspects of our school remain the small class sizes, affordable tuition, and highly qualified teachers who care about each and every child.
In addition, we have strong ties with our parish, and a caring community of parishioners willing to give their time and talent to help our students succeed. Because of this, many families have made attending the school a family tradition.
Ask any of our students in preschool through 8th grade and they will tell you that the phrase many of us see on signs these days – ‘live, laugh, love’ – is not a cliché here – it’s exactly what you will find.
If you are looking for a school with a strong tradition of excellent academics, taught with Christian values by people who truly care about your child, look to St. Gerard.
Mission
St. Gerard School is a Catholic community of teachers, students and parents whose purpose is to instill traditional Christian values and to provide children with the skills, knowledge, and understanding necessary to live productive and meaningful Christian lives.
Within this environment students will recognize God’s goodness in themselves and in others and will strive to be of service to all people.
We will achieve our mission through a total commitment to a well-rounded curriculum emphasizing the individual as an integral part of our larger community.
Students will have the academic background, as well as the spiritual basis, for living life in the way of Christ.
Academics
Our students receive a top-notch education, taught by our highly qualified and state-certified teaching staff. We have high expectations and emphasize personal responsibility and achievement. Our curriculum is organized around the basic subjects of religion, reading, writing, and mathematics, and includes courses in English, social studies, science, art, music, physical fitness and technology education. We are fully accredited by the Michigan Association of Non-Public Schools.
We offer an entire wing for specials or coursework outside of the core courses, including computers, art, Spanish, music and band. We also have our own on-site counselor and a special education teacher.
Faith
Our strong tradition and history of faith is very much a part of who we are at St. Gerard. These ties between the church and school are evident. You will find priests helping in our parking lot drop-off lanes, students praying together in a classroom, parishioners praying for our school – evidence of the integration of faith in our school is everywhere.
In addition to religion classes and sacramental preparation, the teachers pray with students each day, and attending weekly Mass together is the most important thing we do. These experiences offer students many opportunities for public speaking, leadership and service.
Our students also are deeply involved in Christian service projects, including student-initiated participation in programs such as Operation Christmas Child, where our junior high students filled more than 300 shoe boxes with gifts that will help demonstrate God’s love to needy children.
Enrichment
Students are able to learn about the pursuit of excellence, sportsmanship and teamwork with our strong extracurricular offerings in sports, band and clubs. We offer the following sports: basketball, volleyball, softball and baseball. Other sports are available through St. Gerard Church and the Lansing Catholic Youth Activities Conference.
In addition, we have a very strong band program and have many opportunities for students to explore their interests outside of the classroom.
Statistics
4 full-time aides
3 teacher consultants
6 special teachers
