Saint John the Baptist Catholic School has a long, strong history in the Jordan community. In 1858 the first Catholic church was built here to nurture the faith of the growing number of citizens in the area. In the 1860s, the growing parish chose to open a Catholic school, and that is when Saint John the Baptist began. Little is known about this first building, but in 1868, when a new stone church was constructed, the first church became the new building for the Catholic school. This school provided a strong elementary education as well as the essentials of our Catholic faith.
The school continued to grow. In 1877, a new two story brick school was built. The lower floor was the home of the teacher and his family. The upper floor was one large classroom. Soon there were discussions about seeing if sisters could come teach at the school.
In August of 1879 three Sisters of Notre Dame arrived to teach. The second floor was divided into two classrooms. The smaller room was set aside for the lower grades and taught by Sister Tolentina. The larger portion was for upper grade students, taught by Sister Simona. The school continued for many years in this fashion.
A new, much larger school was built in 1908 as enrollment grew. The new school had several classrooms on the lowest floor, several classrooms on the middle floor, and a grand upper floor with a stage and space for gatherings. Records of those receiving First Communion show there were about 20 students in each grade at that time.
In fall of 1952, the 250 students came to school to find that all the classrooms had been repainted, each a different color, and new tile ceilings had been installed. Fluorescent lights had been installed throughout the building. Throughout the 1950s, enrollment was strong, and discussions centered around building a new school. Land was purchased, but in 1968 the decision was made to drop grades 7 and 8 to allow more room for grades 1 through 6 instead, and the property was resold.
Enrollment at the Catholic school began declining in the 1970s. In 1977, the school added Kindergarten to interest young families in a Catholic education.
In October of 1981 the last of the Sisters of Notre Dame left Jordan. However, as the 1980s continued, the school began to grow again! A preschool program was added. The entire school was refreshed with new paint, new walls, new lights, lowered ceilings, and fire doors. A rededication was held on January 31, 1988, with an all school reunion attended by over 1,000 alumni.
As the school building neared its 100th year of use, a number of things led to the construction of a new school attached to the church. It was finished in the winter of 2004 and, on February 14, 2004, many volunteers assisted the teachers, staff, and parents in moving to the new school. It was an exciting day. The new building had classrooms on the first floor, a lower level with a computer lab and library, and an upstairs awaiting later expansion. Bishop Pates dedicated the new building on Sunday, March 7th, 2004, after the 10:00am liturgy. The old school stood empty for quite a while and was finally demolished in 2018.
In 2020 the newly remodeled upper level was opened for grades 5 through 8 as middle school grades returned to Saint John's. In May of 2023 the 8th graders that graduated were the first in 55 years! Established in the 1860’s, Saint John the Baptist Catholic School integrates the Scriptures and rich intellectual Tradition of the Catholic Church in the daily life and learning of each student. The faculty and staff believe in building a school of faith in Jesus Christ, love for Him, and service to others that extends beyond a classroom setting. Saint John’s offers a solid religious foundation and a well-rounded education that adds new dimension to a student’s personality, character, and moral standards.
At Saint John's our longstanding tradition is to serve the whole person -- mind, body, and soul. In the classroom, our students grow in knowledge of God’s creation and their relation to it, as well as knowledge of virtues and how to live a virtuous life. Our early education classrooms are play-based, thus helping to include all the senses of the student in their learning.
Our patron saint, Saint John the Baptist, reminds us to wait for the next coming of Christ and to prepare the way for Him. Because of our patron saint, we celebrate the Baptismal Birthday of our students with a special Mass and a sweet treat. We also have many other faith based traditions throughout our school year. Each Advent we gather weekly for a prayer service, and each Christmas we present a live nativity to the community. Our students serve as altar servers for funeral Masses at our parish, and our middle schoolers sing in the Schola Choir at various Masses throughout the year. We also help with various charitable collections that the parish runs, and we have a collection for the food shelf each year during Catholic Schools Week. Our Catholic faith is woven into the very fabric of our school and into the hearts of each student.
We are proud of our many alumni and have a wall filled with names of people who attended our school who went on to contribute greatly to the Jordan community and to our school. We regularly hear from teachers in schools our students attend after graduation that our students are easy to spot due to their high aptitudes and respectful demeanors. We are preparing our students for heaven and high school; it is a wonderful job that God has given us.
