St. Odilia School

My children have attended St. Odilia for 3 years and I am extremely happy with the school. We live in the Mounds View school district and prior to kindergarten, we toured the local elementary schools (Island Lake and Turtle Lake) as well as St. O's. We were blown away at how friendly and genuinely caring the staff seemed during the tour -- just the random interactions with teachers passing by in the hallway were great. We also liked that the children had access to specialists more frequently than the public school offered, as well as enrichment opportunities for students. Also, the teacher-student ratios are much better at St. O's. The public schools only had the main teacher and no teacher aide, while St. O's typically had assistant teachers for the younger grades. We have been extremely happy with our decision and with the feeling of community that we have experienced.

I cannot express enough what a great choice St. Odilia has been for our family. When touring schools before our oldest child entered kindergarten, we wanted to see every school the area had to offer. As a result, we scheduled over 30 school tours, the very last of which was St. Odilia. Honestly, we did not think a Catholic school was the right choice for our family, and I only agreed to tour it because they bused to our child`s current daycare and our home so I thought we should at least see what they had to offer. Something came up the day of the tour, and my spouse was unable to attend the tour but knew we both had reservations about choosing St. Odilia, and it was just a "formality" to say we had truly seen every school in the area. The one thing I can say is that we were wrong! I came home from the tour insisting that we had to register that day. Needless to say, my spouse was surprise, but after touring so many schools with me, knew that it must be the right choice! We registered a week later and now have two children attending St. Odilia, and it was the best choice we have ever made! The academics alone at this school are on par with what you would see at a very expensive institution and are extremely impressive. I believe this is due to the commitment of the excellent faculty. Not only are they extremely educated themselves, but they truly understand the idea of teaching to each individual student. The class sizes are small, the student/teacher ratios are excellent, and I really do believe that each teacher cares deeply for each student in the building. When touring the building alone, it is easy to see that students and teachers are there to learn and teach. The leadership under Mr. Ragatz and Mr. Pajak is also phenomenal, and both are completely accessible to answer questions and solve any problems that arise. Not only are the academics far above the other schools we toured, but the amount of respect seen from everyone in the building is evident immediately. St. Odilia will give your children a top notch education, but they will also teach them to be a good human who can function well in society. Monthly service projects, multi-generational and multi-grade level learning experiences, compassion, respect, kindness, and more are just as much a part of the curriculum as the academics, and the religious component is a huge asset to the community. And, speaking of community, this place really understands the meaning of the word! Families are welcoming and parents are invited to "be part of the action" in so many ways that it is extremely refreshing. Our children have had no issues forming quality friendships, and the opportunities for students (and parents) to get involved are countless. My children have tried sports, activities, and clubs that they would have otherwise never tried had they not been so easily accessible at St. Odilia. Even after five years of being here, I honestly cannot think of one negative thing to say about this school. I believe that everyone should check this place out. If it`s not for you, then at least you know and you are only out an hour of your time, but we have found St. Odilia to be the best discovery we have ever made.

We transferred our child at the end of 2016 from a Montessori school nearby which is several times the cost of St. O's. We wanted a school which would best prepare our son for high school and ultimately college. In our family we believe education is the most important thing a parent can do for their child. Our child was looking to make more friends and looking for a well rounded and better focused school with more to offer. We shopped schools in the area before our son ever started school and also shopped St. O's several years before. At the end of last year (2016) we gave St. O's another look and noticed many changes since our first visit several years ago. The school now under new leadership with Mr. Ragatz and has a much different feel which was easily noticeable. We were very impressed with the new direction the school has taken under new leadership. The kids and teachers were upbeat, friendly, compassionate and approachable. My son asked if he could start the next day following his shadow day at St. O's. His friend from the same school shadowed recently and made the exact same comment with the same reaction asking to change to St O's right away. Last year my son knew a couple kids but was still new to most of the kids. My son got to test the buddy bench on the playground soon after he transferred. The Buddy Bench is to be used by kids that need someone to play with. He sat down and a group of kids of various ages immediately asked him to come play with them. I was very impressed with the quality of the kids who attend St. O's they are friendly, courteous, respectful, kind and compassionate. Kids at St. O's learn And practice the qualities Boy Scouts tries to instill in kids.He really enjoys math, science, robotics, Phy Ed, religion, mass, recess and the hot lunch program. He comes from a school which taught no Spelling skills and struggled with language arts to being an A student in all his subjects thanks to the careful lesson planing, homework, demonstrations, working with a specialist and his invested teachers. The school offers projects which change yearly. The kids eagerly look forward to these events and get excited because of the way projects are shared with other grades. Kids from other grades are invited to share in the discovery of the projects by attending the events and by receiving presentations from the students. The presentation of the students projects to their peers aids in kids confidence and public speaking abilities. The kids really seem to embrace the whole process and feel proud of their work from the genuine responses they get from other kids. He likes the educational field trips and his grade was invited to do a virtual field trip with the CEO and founder of a stop motion animation studio with amazing credentials. He enjoys being able to celebrate and practice his faith as a Lutheran in a Catholic School without any hurdles. He especially enjoys Friday mass at school which has a service that is relatable, pertinent, on point, engaging and fun. I have enjoyed meeting the kids and families which have been very welcoming and friendly. There is a nice diversity of students from from various economic backgrounds. We have come to embrace the uniforms. Uniforms are easy, there's no hassle on what to wear and the kids don't mind not having to pick out clothes every day. The uniforms cost way less than years past school shopping by a mile. For families watching pennies there is even a clothes exchange to help subsidize the cost of uniforms. At our son's old school it was difficult to help at school unless you were writing a large check in the form of a donation. At St. O's volunteers have plenty of opportunities to help or chaperone events after attending a awareness workshop and background check. When shopping for schools we included the public school our child would attend after begging and pleading with the principal to come in and observe in the classroom. We were glad we did it made our choice much easier. Our day at St. O's was very easy and welcoming. If you spend time at any of the area schools sitting in on classes and touring schools you will find St. O's is a clear choice for any parent looking for an excellent education without paying upwards $30,000 a year in tuition. St. O's is a bargain well worth beyond the price of tuition at a fraction of the cost. My wife and I thought choosing St. O's was a no brainer and the decision of selecting St. O's for our sons education was an easy choice with absolutely no regrets what so ever! We wish we would have done this earlier!

Our oldest child transferred to St. Odilia last year, and our two youngest will be transferring there in the fall. We have been very happy with this transition. We have been parishioners for many years and have always loved the sense of community and the emphasis on loving and serving your neighbor. This practice of serving others and supporting those in need flows seemlessly from the parish to the school and is integrated into the daily life of the school. The principal knows all of the students and families by name and greets them as they enter their the school in the morning. He is always available when parents have questions. Teachers are very easy to communicate with. We also love that St. Odilia's is a K-8 school. I think it is important for students in their middle school years to be around people that are of all different ages. The middle school students do many activities with the younger students so they learn the importance of being a good role model to them. They can also be seen helping older parionshers by moving tables for them or other tasks. They learn the importance of being part of a larger community which is invaluable at this age. We are very happy to be a part of this community.

I am so happy with the progress my son have made since we moved him to St. Odilia . The principal has been more than supportive in helping to my son succeed. He changes and attitude have made a crucial impact in our life. It is because of him I will suggest this school to anyone I meet.

We have had our children enrolled at St. Odilia for the past 4 years. We are very happy with the experience our kids are having. Of particular note is the community (other families are very easy to get to know, and very dedicated to the school). The faculty do a great job taking care of individual kids, probably largely because the St. O student/faculty ratio keeps class sizes nice and small. We are confident that our kids are having a strong academic experience, but at the same time they are not being overburdened by testing-based curriculum choices. Of particular note is the amazing swimming team, available starting in kindergarten, which has turned out to be a wonderful athletic program for those cold, dark winter months. We don't think of ourselves as a big competitive swimming family, but the swim team season has become a very welcome event every winter in our household.

Our family chose St. Odilia School to assist us in enriching our children with the values of respect, integrity, honesty and empathy. We found these values are key qualities in the teaching of the staff at St. Odilia, and we could not have asked for a better fit. This community has become a second home to our family. Through the small class sizes and the emphasis on service projects, our daughters, have grown in self-confidence and the feeling of responsibility to both themselves and to their community. When discussing her favorite things about St. Odilia School, our oldest continues to bring up not only the friendships she has made but her growing relationship with God and Jesus.

I am a 1992 graduate of St. Odilia School. St. Odilia gave me a great foundation and I have wonderful memories of my experience during my time attended. Our three sons, Vincent, Lincoln and Franklin are all current students and thriving as individuals. The school has tremendous leadership and a very strong faith-based community.? The tireless support and dedication from the faculty and staff make it hard to imagine our boys anywhere else. Much like my parents, we believe the commitment and investment in our boys primary education is a necessary foundation for future growth and success.? We find comfort in the fact that our children are attending a school with other children whose parents hold similar values, integrity and morals as we do. This new expansion is so exciting and will allow for much more growth and overall success for our children. We are thrilled to be a part of this expansion that is sure to create an excellent student experience for many generations to come.

When we were preparing to send our daughter to Kindergarten we had normal first time parent reservations. Was St Odilia the right place for her? Would she make friends and grow in faith and values?Would the teachers love her like I do? A relative (and St Odilia alumni) said "no one will educate her and care for her more than the staff and teachers of St Odilia. 6 years later I can say for sure that he was right! Our family has grown to love the community here. Our kids have formed enduring and supporting friendships. They have participated in fun extracurricular activities like basketball, music and art. And we feel blessed that the school offers meaningful service projects that strengthen the values we hold dear. St Odilia is an amazing place!

We moved to Shoreview from a small town in northern Minnesota in order to send our daughter to a parochial school. Although we visited many good schools around the Twin Cities, we felt St. Odilia had the best all-around reputation. We have been here now for over 8 years and we could not imagine being anywhere else. The teachers and staff at St. Odilia are very dedicated to their students. Many St. Odilia teachers are former St. Odilia students. Over 75% of the teachers have earned their Master's Degrees. Students develop a high degree of self-confidence from caring and engaged teachers and staff. Although the former Principal retired after 35 years in 2013, our new Principal Mr. Brian Ragatz is simply the best we could have ever hoped for. He is continually improving our school and has earned the respect of all students and parents alike. We consider it a real blessing to have him in charge of our kids.