St. Liborius School

St. Liborius School, founded in 1912, is a private elementary school, grades pre-school through eighth, located in Steger and Crete, Illinois. The Crete Campus holds PreK – 3rd and the Steger Campus hold 4th – 8th grade. St. Liborius draws students from Steger, Crete, Park Forest, South Chicago Heights, Chicago Heights, and occasionally from Beecher and places in northwest Indiana such as Dyer and St. John.

History

When St. Liborius Parish was established in 1902, a future parochial school for the children was already a part of its vision. In 1910, this dream was carried out by Reverend Theodore Gross, who was determined to complete the plans of the first pastor, Reverend Joseph Rempe. By September 1912, the current school building was ready to receive students. The first teachers were the School Sisters of St. Francis who came from Milwaukee. Four classrooms on the first floor were readied to greet 160 students. The nuns had convent quarters on the second floor until 1950, when an increase in enrollment caused a need for that area to be used for additional classrooms. This building continued to house students from Grades K – 8 for the next forty years. In November 1990, realizing again a need for more classroom space, the parish purchased a former public school, gymnasium, and ten acres of land from the Crete-Monee School District. This satellite campus of St. Liborius School was dedicated in October 1991, following thousands of hours of volunteer work to completely renovate the building.

The school is fully accredited by the Diocese of Joliet and the State of Illinois, and prides itself on providing students with the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the complex demands of 21st century living. Over 95% of the graduating students continue their education in local Catholic high schools. In addition to an intensive academic curriculum, the school also maintains a full range of athletic opportunities for all age levels.

Extracurricular activities

St. Liborius School offers many activities for students to enrich their school experience and foster their many talents.

• Faith Families

The student body is divided into Faith Families. This year there was 20 families, each headed by one or two 8th grade students. Each family contains students of each grade level, K-8. Students meet in their faith families in order to establish bonds between students, develop an increased sense of our school community as a family, provide our younger students with big brothers and sisters to emulate, and provide our older students with important leadership opportunities. Our Faith Families sit together at weekly Mass, plan the liturgies as a family, do activities and projects, and discuss important issues of school life such respect on the playground.

• Children’s Choir

The children’s choir is open to all students, grades 5-8. Students meet weekly for a one-hour rehearsal after school and sing as a group for all school Masses and other liturgical celebrations throughout the year.

• Altar Servers

Altar servers can train beginning in grade 5. Training sessions are held both during the lunch recess and after school. Students are then scheduled to serve both the all-school and Sunday Masses.

• Young Rembrandt’s

This after school art program is open to students K-3 and affords children an opportunity to learn to draw and to develop their artistic abilities beyond the regular classroom art program.

• Band

The St. Liborius Band is open to students in grades 5-8 who are interested in playing a musical instrument. Lessons in small groups are held within the school day throughout the year and a concert is held each spring so that students can showcase their achievements.

• Competitive Athletics

St. Liborius offers a very strong competitive athletic program which is offered for students in grades 5-8. Both boys and girls can participate in both volleyball and basketball. There is an outstanding gym facility and an active Athletic Association which arranges for coaches, practice times, game schedules, and end-of season trophies and awards. St. Liborius follows all the guidelines of the Diocese of Joliet regulating play and practice.

• Pee Wee Athletics

St. Liborius also offers a non-competitive pee wee athletics program open to students in grades 1-4. Students can learn the fundamentals of basketball, volleyball, soccer, cheerleading, and bowling and have fun learning and playing in a climate which emphasizes individual growth, teamwork, and enjoyment rather than competition.

• Academic Activities

St. Liborius students are also involved in a variety of academic activities and competitions which are an extension of the classroom curriculum. Activities such as Science Fair, Spelling Bees, Stock Market Challenge, Poetry and Essay Contests, Art Contests, and Yearbook all are opportunities for students to reach beyond the content taught in the classroom.

References

External links

• St. Liboris School website