HISTORY OF OUR LADY OF REFUGE CATHOLIC SCHOOL
Our Lady of Refuge Catholic School (OLR) opened in 1953 with 266 students in grades one through five. Reverend Hugh Vandenburg was the pastor. The Sisters of St. Louis staffed the school until 1977, when their community withdrew. In September 1977, Our Lady of Refuge Catholic School continued with an all-lay faculty.
The city of Long Beach is approximately 50 square miles and is bordered by several cities, such as: Seal Beach (Orange County), Los Alamitos, Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood, Compton, and Carson. Our Lady of Refuge Catholic School is located in East Long Beach, California, situated in the southeastern part of Los Angeles County, in the San Pedro region of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The school is located in a suburban community. Families characterize themselves as a predominately Hispanic, Caucasian, Multi-ethnic population of the middle income range. The school is identified by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles as a Level 4 school in terms of socio-economics on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the highest. Our Lady of Refuge Catholic School lies within the boundaries of the Long Beach Unified School District.
The Our Lady of Refuge Catholic School is part of the parish community. The school and the church have an excellent partnership. The school is supported by the parishioners through their generosity and spiritual guidance. The parish has many activities throughout the year that the parents help to support through donations, volunteering time, and/or attendance. The parishioners do the same when it comes to school events, as well. Some school/parish sponsored events include: Coffee Hour on Sundays and the Welcome Back Mass at the beginning of the school year. The parishioners help to support the school through donations, Church donations, Jog-a-thon, Christmas and Easter Sees candy sales, Community dinners, Opportunity Drawings, and the Spring Event. OLR school families are involved in the parish life, as well. A number of our parents particiate as Eucharistic Ministers, Lectors, choir members, Catechists, and members of the Baptism Team. Many of our school students are altar servers. The pastor has an active relationships with our school providing spiritual guidance for us, in addition to presiding at weekly Masses and hearing confessions.
OLR offers a full-day State licensed Transitional Kindergarten for 4-5 year olds. In addition, we offer a full-day Kindergarten program. There are eight single grades (1-8). The faculty consists of 10 classroom teachers, a technology specialist, 2 instructional aides, a music teacher, and a Spanish and physical education teacher.
School Crest
Our Lady of Refuge Catholic School in Long Beach, CA has been dedicated to educating the whole child, spiritually, academically and physically since 1953.
