Our Lady of Lourdes: 'Where Everybody is Somebody'

photo courtesy of Our Lady of Lourdes School.

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Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School in Salt Lake City takes great pride in its students who reflect the many countries from which their families come. English and Spanish are most commonly spoken at Our Lady of Lourdes, but students and teachers speak a variety of tongues.

by Annie Razzeca

SALT LAKE CITY — Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School in Salt Lake City prides itself on its diversity. The school motto is "Where Everybody is Somebody." Our Lady of Lourdes has twice been honored by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Human Rights Commission for its commitment to diversity.

When you ask parents what makes Our Lady of Lourdes such a wonderful school, you will hear any number of answers: great teachers, small size, variety of programs, individual attention to each student, proximity to Judge Memorial Catholic High School, accelerated math and science classes, a renowned reading program, the wonderful sense of community and on and on. Inevitably, you will also hear this answer: "its diversity."

One look at our statistics reveals that 46 percent of our students are from racial minorities; 37 percent are non-Catholic; eight percent receive Carson Smith vouchers for students with special needs; and 59 percent receive some tuition assistance. What those statistics don’t reveal is the breadth and depth of our diversity.

Our Lady of Lourdes School has students from every inhabitable continent on earth: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa. In one class alone you will find the children of émigrés from Pakistan and Russia learning, playing, and worshiping alongside a Peruvian child and American children.

The Principal, School Board President, and Home and School Association President are Hispanic; as are 18 percent of Lourdes students. But within that broad category there is great diversity. There are those new to the country and those whose families have been in the country for generations. Our students hail from Mexico and other Spanish speaking countries throughout the world. Some of our students speak only Spanish at home and there are others whose first introduction to the Spanish language is in school.

Perhaps even more revealing is the fact that the amorphous category "Mixed/Other" also stands at 18 percent. Eighteen percent of Lourdes students don’t fit neatly into any single category but find a perfect fit in Our Lady of Lourdes School.

Our Lady of Lourdes’ diversity is not limited to race, ethnicity or country of origin. It applies to religion, income, environment, and ability – all part of what makes Lourdes so unique and inviting.

Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School is home to students from many, many faiths.

We have students at Lourdes who are refugees and students who are the children of celebrities; students who are gifted and students with learning and developmental challenges. There are students who live in the neighborhood and walk to school and students who commute from as far away as Park City, Magna, Bountiful, Draper and all points in between. We have students from traditional two parent families and students from all varieties of non-traditional families.

In the scientific or natural world, diversification is a measure of health, vitality and stability. The greater the diversity, the stronger, healthier and more stable is the environment. And so it is at Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School, where all are welcome and included. Our Lady of Lourdes truly is the school "Where Everybody is Somebody."

Razzeca is the advancement director for Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School.