Karen Vogtner, once a student at St. John the Evangelist Catholic School in Hapeville and now its principal, has helped guide the school to its second national Blue Ribbon School honor.
St. John was the only private school in Georgia to receive the designation for 2010, which was also given to six state public schools. The award program of the U.S. Department of Education awards the honor to schools selected for their high performance or improvements. St. John was chosen for high achievement, with some of the highest test scores in the country in reading and math. The school was also named a Blue Ribbon School in 1994.
The school was started in 1954 to serve Catholic families who lived near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Today, it serves 302 pre-k to eighth- grade students from Hapeville, Atlanta and many other metro cities.
“Many of our students are sought out by the best high schools in Atlanta and receive thousands in scholarship dollars,” Vogtner said.
In addition to their core studies, students attend Mass every Friday.
“We believe that if you’re centered with God first, it all falls in line,” Vogtner said.
Early in her career, Vogtner was a special education teacher in Charleston, S.C., and Clayton County. She returned to St. John in 1988 as a teacher and became its principal 10 years later.
She said she is proud of the school's achievements. In addition to a core curriculum of math and science, she points to a strong lineup of extracurricular offerings such as band, soccer and academic bowl.
Maria Lund, part of a military family living at Ft. McPherson, said her children have attended schools on three continents and she has three sons now at St. John.
“The academics and character development at the school are outstanding,” Lund said, adding that the school's diversity is also a plus.
“This is what our kids are used to,” she said.
Lund also praises the number of support staff and the hot lunch program.
“At many schools we’ve been to, I had to make lunch or the lunch brought into the school was from a fast food place. I appreciate the good nutrition St. John offers,” she said.
Vogtner said the involvement of parents like Lund is a key to the school's success.
“We’ve had more than 15,000 parent volunteer hours," she said. "It makes a difference.”
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