St. Dominic School

St. Dominic Elementary School is a private, co-ed Roman Catholic elementary school located in Shaker Heights, OH. The school is known for its small class sizes, diverse student body, and high quality teaching. [ [http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/oh/private/3031#from..Tab St. Dominic School - Shaker Heights, Ohio - OH - School overview ] ]

History

The Church of St. Dominic, the location of the school was built in 1947, with William Koehl as the architect. [cite book|last=Guda|first=Neil William|title=The Van Sweingen Influence: Shaker Heights|edition=4th edition|origyear=1976|year=1995|publisher=City of Shaker Heights Landmark Commission|pages=54|chapter=Shaker Heights Public Buildings] On September 3, 1952, St. Dominic School opened for children in grades 1-4. The Dominican Sisters of Adrian, Michigan were the first teachers for the then 120 students. By 1958, the school completed an addition that included the current cafeteria and gymnasium and the school began to educate students through the eighth grade. [ [http://www.stdominicschool.net/information.htm Information about St ] ] In 2004, the school utilized much of its recent $3 million capital campaign to finance the construction of a new lobby, improve universal access throughout the school, and enhance the school's science laboratory.

Student Body

Today, the school educates children from prekindergarten to eighth grade. Although the school's total capacity is 245 students, they currently enroll 213, resulting in a student/teacher ratio of 24:1 in the grade school and 12:1 for the preschool. With the help of numerous public school districts, many students utilize bus transportation to travel to and from school.

Curriculum

In addition to the usual core programs of elementary education, St. Dominic offers classes that they refer to as "Specials." [ [http://www.stdominicschool.net/information.htm#Curriculum Information about St ] ] These programs include art, physical education, music education, computers, and library skills. Beginning in fourth grade, students can also participate in band. Additionally, students take Spanish in grades K-8. From kindergarten to sixth grade, the class is taken on a weekly basis as an enrichment course. However, Spanish is included in seventh and eighth graders' regular course offerings, preparing them to pass out of the first year of high school Spanish. Also, students in grades K-8 take computer education, physical education for PreK-8 and music classes for all grades.

Notable Alumni

Molly Shannon, Actress and Comedian known for her performances on Saturday Night Live [ [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/molly_shannon/#synopsis Molly Shannon - Rotten Tomatoes Celebrity Profile ] ] and such movies as Superstar, which was influenced by her experience at St. Dominic. [ [http://www.thecareercookbook.com/article.php?article_id=30 Article: Molly Shannon Actress - TheCareerCookbook.com ] ]

References