History
Our Lady of the Rosary School had its beginnings in 1888 when the building which currently houses its gym was begun. The school formally opened on September 3, 1889, by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Brothers assumed the duties of teaching the boys in the fourth grade and older. The original building served double duty as both the physical facility for the school and the church for a number of years. By 1915 the enrollment in the school had grown so much that several adjacent houses, including St. Martin's Club House, were pressed into service as temporary quarters for classes. In 1917 the present church structure was completed and ready for use.
By 1957 enrollment had again increased to the point that a new addition was required. The "new" building, currently the principal classroom structure, was opened in 1958. A breeze-way linked the old and new buildings and created a twenty-three room school. During the years between 1958 and 1979, new highways and changing demographics had caused the enrollment to decline. However, Our Lady of the Rosary has maintained a solid enrollment base with the addition of new subdivisions in the outlying areas of its district. In 1980, due to declining enrollment in St. Adalbert School on Valley St., Our Lady of the Rosary Parish offered to open its doors to students from the school who wished to enroll. Since that time families from St. Adalbert parish have been sending their children to Our Lady of the Rosary
During the year of 1992-93, one of the goals for the school was to beautify the front, which was all asphalt. Mrs. Clara Garza wrote a proposal and obtained money from the City of Dayton for the beautification of the front of the school as well as making a parking lot to the South of the Church. The funds had to be matched by parishioners, which could include work that they did in the project. Mr. Gary Sierschula was the architect who designed the entire project. The Jergens construction Co. handled the main part of the job, digging up blacktop, putting in the sidewalk and filling in the ground. The feast of St. Joseph, March 19, was chosen as the day to plant the Wright Brothers Sugar Maple which is to the right of the front sidewalk as one enters the school. The children and teachers all gathered for the ceremony. Each class wrote their prayers and wishes for the school and placed them in the hole. Each class helped in the planting of the tree. April 12, 1993, was the big planting day for the rest of the plants and shrubs in front of school. Many parents, parishioners and students gathered to help Mr. Ed Ravenstein, who directed the planting. The success of the project is a tribute to the many people who were part of the project.
The Sisters' House, at 97 Notre Dame Avenue, was sold in 1979, due to the lack of Sisters to live in the facility. Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur still continued on the staff until March of 1990. Sister Miriam Joseph Reichert had become very dear to the parish, having been here for 17 years. She had to retire, due to a serious fall. She had completed 50 years of teaching and 17 years in the parish. The class of 1990 established and named a scholarship in her honor. On September 3, l989, a 100th birthday party was held for students, teachers and parents in the cafeteria. The Evans family made a cake with 100 candles on it. There was singing and dancing enjoyed by all. The flag pole was erected by the Jergens family as a birthday gift and the marker in front of the flagpole was purchased by the children and parents.
During the 1996-97 school years the new computer lab was refurbished. The students worked very hard selling candy to pay for many things in the lab. The ISP contributed the tables in the lab. Besides buying new computers, an ISDN line was put in with the use of state money allotted for this purpose. Students and teachers finally were able to use the Internet in many creative ways in the learning process. The year of 1997-98 saw the birth of WOLR, our in-house TV station. With the new TV's purchased by the ISP in place in each classroom, Mr. Pike ran cable to all the classrooms. This then made it possible with a few switches, to install our camcorder in the room above the entry way, which began to be known as the "WOLR studio.
Our Lady of Rosary School has served thousands of children from the local area since it first opened in 1888. Today, while open to Catholic and non Catholic children alike, it’s mission continues as a vibrant educational ministry of Our Lady of the Rosary parish, committed to challenging our students to grow in faith, Christian service, and academic excellence within a caring Christian environment.