Incarnation Parish School

Incarnation Parish School is an elementary school in Glendale, California. The school is located at 123 West Glenoaks Blvd., Glendale, California 91202, office phone [phone].

School PhilosophyIncarnation Parish School is a Catholic educational community of students, parents, faculty, administrators, clergy and supportive personnel. We affirm and respond wholeheartedly to the Incarnation Parish Mission Statement: "To form in Christ a Catholic Faith Community, guided by the Holy Spirit, to serve, proclaim the Good News, and reconcile all people for the Glory of God." We believe in sharing experiences, which enable our children to learn and live the values commissioned by Christ in the Gospel and which prepare them to become loving, participating members of our parish family. We work cooperatively at all levels, believing that parents are the primary educators of the child, that teachers are the facilitators of the learning process, and that the clergy and administration are the bonds of leadership and love, bringing parents and teachers together in promoting the formation of the whole child.

Incarnation strives to present learning as a stimulating, challenging and life-long process, necessitating self-disciplined, creative and sensitive individuals. We are committed to the full development of every child's potential: spiritual, intellectual, physical, psychological, social, and aesthetic, in a positive environment which emphasizes and nourishes each person's unique worth and dignity. this continuous affirmation of lived faith helps develop individuals who are loving, responsible persons with values and skills that will enable them to have an impact on our diverse, multi-cultural parish, nation and world and meet the challenges of the twenty-first century!

History Of Incarnation Parish SchoolOn opening day, Monday, September 20, 1937, 170 children registered at the school which was directed by the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The school represented a cost of $45,000, with equipment adding another $5,000. The property, which faced 79 feet on West Glenoaks and extended to a depth of 118 feet, was valued at $14,500, bringing the total outlay to $64,500. The new parochial school was composed of six classrooms (two were not yet completed), a music room and teachers' office. School began with the first grade and continued through the eighth. Initially, there were six instructors, headed by Sister Mary Philothea, BVM. The boy's playground was located in the rear and the girls' playground was at the east side of the school building. The Church's school bus traveled west to Pacific and east to Geneva for the benefit of the school children.

Preceding the 11:00 a.m. Mass on Sunday morning, October 31, 1937, the Right Reverend Monsignor John Cawley, P.A. Vicar-General, officiated at the dedication of a combination church and school building for the parish of the Incarnation in Glendale. More than 40 priests attended the ceremonies and a congregation of parishioners filled the church to overflowing. For fifteen years, the school's spacious auditorium served as the church.

After six years, the school's enrollment increased to three hundred, and the faculty to seven Sisters. Sister Mary Wilhelmine, BVM, then took charge of the school. On April 4, 1949, the new wing of Incarnation School was formally opened, and the seventh and eighth grades took possession of the new modern classrooms. In August 1949, Sister Mary Mauricine, BVM, became principal. Since 1937, a gradual growth and development had been manifested. In 1952 the enrollment was 454 students.

Sister Mary John, BVM, arrived on the scene during the year 1955. At the end of Sister's administration, 1961, construction of a six classroom addition was started. The two-story brick building had outside corridors on both floors for maximum safety. Two of the classrooms were left temporarily unpartitioned to serve as a parish meeting hall. Another classroom was used at first as a library.

Sister Mary Bertilla, BVM, commenced supervising the school in 1961. "Education Under God" 1963 was the title of the pledge cards used to acquire over $80,000. The funds were used to construct the last school addition, the purchase of the remaining two houses at the corner of Central and Dryden Streets, paving of the grounds, and completion of the required fencing. Under Sister Mary Leonita, BVM, incumbency, 1967, the library was established with a full time librarian. In 1970, the media center was opened and staffed by parents who volunteered their services to the school.

Incarnation Parish School has continued to change and develop. The Sisters no longer reside at the Church, and no longer staff the school. The school's athletic teams, known as the Incarnation Eagles, are award-winners whose trophies are displayed at the entrance of the school. The school's educational focus has expanded to include a computer program, with a personal computer in every classroom - many with two or more.

Today, Incarnation Parish School has a wonderful reputation in the community as evidenced by a top ranking in the Glendale News-Press and the numerous accolades regularly received from Los Angeles area high schools. Last year, 25% of Incarnation's students earned honors at high school entrance. The combined efforts of teachers, parents, and students makes attendance at Incarnation Parish School an advantage for life.