RIDGE, MARYLAND – August 21st marked a great day for science as North America experiences a solar eclipse. It also marked an important moment it time for St. Michael’s School (SMS) as it began the 2017-2018 school year and centennial celebration.

St. Michael’s School first opened its doors on Sept. 20, 1918 and, since that day, has been offering quality Catholic education to children and families in the local St. Mary’s County area.

In the Spring of 1911, a rally was held at St. Michael’s Catholic Church on Easter Sunday after Mass to raise money to build a school and hall on the church premises. A committee of parishioners was formed under the direction of the church’s Pastor Father Abraham J. Emerick, S.J., that successfully saw the construction of a large, two storied wooden building. St. Michaels’ Elementary School opened on the first floor of that building in September 1918.

Since its inception, St. Michael’s School has played an important role in the Ridge community and continues to serve the parishes of St. Michael’s, St. Cecilia and St. Peter Claver. St. Michael’s School is honored to have a proud history of faithfully educating the Ridge community, and its goals remain — as it has been for almost 100 years – academic and spiritual excellence.

“Saint Michael’s School has been a pillar of this community for almost a century,” said Lila Hofmeister, SMS current principal and school alum “We provide a quality Catholic education, in a family friendly atmosphere. We are open today because of the generosity of our community. Without community support we would not have remained open.”

To commemorate SMS’ 100th anniversary, the school and church are hosting a series of year-long events culminating with a centennial dinner in Sept. 29, 2018. Other scheduled events include burying a time capsule, Christmas in April to beautify the school and honoring SMS alumni in the community.

“We are also having classes select decades to highlight during the school year and providing historical information, fun stories and pictures to enhance our celebration,” said Father Giovanoni Peter, St. Michael’s Church pastor. “This celebrating is not just about the school, it is about the community that supports the school. SMS has been successful because the community values the impact the church has and understands we are forever tied together. We are thankful to have stood as a symbol of Catholic education excellence for a century and hope to continue to provide that service for another 100 years.”

For more information about St. Michael’s centennial events or about the school, please visit the SMS website at www.saint-michaels-school.org.