School

OLR’s spring fundraising gala for the school last week was a big success! The theme for the Rosary Gala was “Bella Notte: A Night in Tuscany.” It was a beautiful evening with elegant attire, fine dining, and music and dancing. We were honored to host Cardinal Thomas Collins, Archbishop Emeritus of Toronto, who delivered an inspiring message as our keynote speaker. (He also blessed our parish presiding the next morning at the 10:30am Mass on Sunday.) And it was a record-setting night: a sold out crowd and the most funds …

The Rose Theater’s ’26-’27 season has been announced! Romeo & Juliet The Mousetrap 12 Angry Jurors Antigone Annie Performing Arts page …

Jack Kauffman, graduate of OLR School class of ’24 and current seminarian for the Diocese of Charleston, has been accepted to the prestigious Basselin Scholars Program at Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. According to its website, the Basselin Scholars Program is a “competitive full-scholarship program” for seminarians who “demonstrate personal maturity and above-average potential for academic success.” Over the next few years, he will be able to earn an undergraduate Ph.B. degree and graduate Ph.L. in Philosophy. Please say a prayer for Kauffman and the other seminarians! …

It’s wonderful to see recent OLR alum Abby Strelow (OLR class of 2024) as a regular freelance journalist for National Catholic Register. Her recent articles include “Ice Chapel Mass Draws Thousands at Notre Dame” (February 3, 2026) and “Notre Dame Sees Record Number of Converts Preparing to Join Catholic Church” (January 26, 2026). You can browse her articles here. Abby is a sophomore at University of Notre Dame, class of 2028, studying theology and the Program of Liberal Studies. We are proud of her! …

A note from Fr. Longenecker: On Friday, the school Mass closest to St. Nicholas’ Day, we restored an ancient tradition from Europe which was especially popular in the Netherlands. This is the tradition of the “boy Bishop”. For St Nicholas’ feast day, one of the boy choristers from the cathedral would be elected by his peers to be “bishop for the day”. He would process into Mass in full episcopal regalia with his own servers, have a special seat at Mass and “preach” a homily. During the school day the …

Six students from OLR competed last week in the SCISA competition for Drama in Sumter, SC and swept all the top awards! There were six schools that competed from all over the state, including Myrtle Beach, Charleston, and Columbia. Our students performed The 39 Steps: Even More Abridged directed by Assistant Headmaster Adam Slocum, and the cast included Wesley Shaferly, Connor Hoff, John Lesley, Sophie Anders, Ellie Pillow, & Alyssa Shaferly. OLR won Best Performance, John Lesley won Best Actor, and Sophie Anders won Best Actress. Connor Hoff and Wesley …

Our Upper School boys and girls both both won SCISA AA Region IV championships earlier this month! A number of our runners also won All Region: for boys Xavier Folts got 1st , Wesley Shaferly 3rd, Finn Dardis 4th, and John Lesley 5th; and for girls Maura Faherty got 1st, Mary Beth Bernard 2nd, and Gemma Dardis 5th. Congratulations to all our runners and to Coach Bernard and the rest of the coaching staff! …

Twelve of our Upper School students joined with two additional homeschoolers from our parish attended the inspiring Steubenville Youth Conference this summer hosted by LifeTeen in Atlanta from July 11 – 13. There was Mass, adoration, inspiring speakers, and of course lots of fun! …

Congratulations to the class of 2025, the 4th graduating class of OLR’s Upper School! We were honored by the presence of His Excellency, Bp. Jacques Fabre-Jeune, CS of Charleston, who addressed the graduates. Our commencement speaker this year was Jeremy Tate, Founder and CEO of Classical Learning Test, a classical alternative to the College Board’s SAT that is now accepted by more than 300 colleges and growing. We also received heartfelt words from Aidan Sloka and Tabitha Weaver, Head Gentleman and Head Lady of the students of OLR. God bless our …

The whole school participated in a beautiful May crowning and procession this week to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary. It included a procession around campus, singing various hymns in English and Latin, and finally the crowning inside the church. Here’s some photos from the event: …

Our Latin IV upper school class took the Intermediate Reading Comprehension Latin Exam last month. It is a challenging nationally normed test, for which we prepared throughout the year. With enthusiasm, I can report that all 10 students in the class received a personal recognition of Cum Laude or higher on the test. Which means that 100% of the students scored higher than the national average for this particular test. In all our students received the following: Gold medal summa cum laude: 3 students Silver medal maxima cum laude: 2 …