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History:

Holy Ghost Catholic School founded in 1912, was opened by five Dominican sisters as St. Thomas Aquinas School. The 30 students who enrolled that year were taught in the convent. Funds solicited from the church in 1913 helped to build a frame building with four rooms which serviced the parish for 37 years with eight grades. 

In 1949, a new school was dedicated and named Holy Ghost School. The enrollment was 274 students and consisted of eight rooms, library, office, waiting room, first aid room, 2 janitor closets, auditorium, kitchen and the Sister's private quarters.

Holy Ghost School continued to grow and expand over the years adding more classroom buildings, a computer lab, gym, cafeteria, Pre-K classrooms and administrative offices. Presently, our enrollment is more than 700 students with a faculty and staff of 62. 

Objectives:

• To maintain the standards of a State Accredited Institution
• To continue to correlate the curriculum with the state Grade Level Expectations (GLE)
• To make known to each student the person and message of Christ.
• To proclaim the fullness of God's message of salvation as a living tradition by which God continues to be present to His people through the studies of gospel values.
• To instill a desire for becoming a life long learner by providing a well-rounded approach to education where the child's emotional and intellectual needs are met.
• To develop a system of values which will help our students grow in self-discipline within an environment of justice, love, concern and patriotism.
• To enable students to acquire basic skills in all subject areas at their individual levels of academic excellence, needs, interests and abilities.
• To develop educational programs which will develop basic skills and higher order cognitive skills in all content areas through on-going studies and evaluations of curriculum.
• To provide an environment that promotes the dignity of each person by fostering self-esteem and respect for self and for others.

What's Behind the Name:

Holy Ghost School was named from the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Holy Ghost / Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is symbolic of peace and security. The members of our community ask in prayer, schoolwork, or in leisure that the Holy Sprit guides us and is the center of our school life. Our school has always been ruled by the Dominican Order. The founder of the order was St. Dominic Guzman who was born in Calruega, Spain, in 1170. The purpose of creating this order was to preach the good news of Jesus and the salvation of souls. The Dominican Order was approved by the Church in 1217, when Pope Honorius III gave Dominic the title of "Order of Preachers." There are currently about 800,000 members of the Dominican Family world wide. This includes sisters, nuns, priests, brothers, laity, and associates. Dominicans are found on every continent. The four pillars of the Dominican life are: prayer, preaching, contemplation, and community.

Dominican Motto:

The Latin word, "veritas," which means truth, has always been the Dominicans motto. Since Holy Ghost has been under the rule of the Dominicans, "veritas" has come to mean more than just truth. It means honesty with oneself and with others. Honesty brings us closer together to build trust-worthy relationships. Seeking truth means to seek the way Jesus wants us to live. 

Gifts of the Holy Ghost:

Our religious teachings at Holy Ghost School help us to learn about the gifts of the Holy Ghost. There are two kinds of gifts. The first gifts specially intended for the sanctification of the person who receives them. These gifts include wisdom, understanding, council, fortitude, knowledge, piety (godliness), and fear of the Lord. 

The second gift is charismata in which extraordinary favors are granted for the help of another. These gifts are: gift of speaking with wisdom, knowledge and faith; grace of healing; gift of miracles; gift of tongues; gift of interpreting speeches; gift of government; and the gift of help. 

Pentecost:

The Pentecost is derived from the Greek pentekost, meaning fiftieth. It is 50 days after Easter and 10 days after Christ's Ascension. It is commemorative of the decent of the Holy Ghost on the Apostles. The day of Pentecost was a day of great conversion, speaking in tongues, and Baptism. From that day, the church grew from a band of unsure devotes to and evangelical movement of tremendous stature. 

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