The Early Years
Our Lady of the Lake School, the first parochial school in the Lake Minnetonka area, opened Sept 2, 1951, with 210 students in eight classrooms on a single floor. The students were taught by the Presentation Sisters of South Dakota, the order of nuns that had taught Religious Education in the parish for the previous ten years.
By 1954, enrollment in the school had risen to 375 students. Growth continued steadily and in 1960, a second floor was added with eight more classrooms and a library. Our Lady of the Lake School opened in that fall with an enrollment of 478 students in 16 classrooms!
In 1984, four mothers were interested in starting a kindergarten program. They presented their idea to the principal. He agreed and the first kindergarten was opened with more than 20 students!
In May of 1986, the Presentation Order left Our Lady of the Lake School.
The Later Years
In 1988, Our Lady of the Lake School offered a before and after school child care program called “Kidconnection” to meet the needs of working parents.
In 1989, Bright Beginnings Preschool was added.
In 2000, thirty years after it was dropped, an eighth grade was added back to Our Lady of the Lake School to allow for a smoother transition to Holy Family Catholic High School in Victoria for students who planned to go there.
In 2001, Our Lady of the Lake hosted an all-school 50 year reunion attended by former teachers and students. In the process an alumni directory with the names of 966 former students was printed.
Today
Today, we continue to offer the Lake Minnetonka area an alternative educational solution for our families. Our students benefit from a strong faith based education, along with strong academics and a family of friends and teachers who support their development.