History of St. Columba School
St. Columba Catholic Parish was established in 1954. In 1959, the parishioners requested a parish school. A special fundraising drive to build the school was initiated, and a search for a religious order willing to staff the school was begun. Eventually the Sisters of Mercy committed to staff the new school. Plans for a school were approved in 1962, and in 1963 the Sisters of Mercy staffed the newly formed elementary school for grades Kindergarten through 4th. Each year a new grade was added, with the first class graduating in 1968. The Sisters of Mercy remained with the school until 1983. Lay faculty have staffed the school since that time.
In response to the school community’s need, the Extended Day Care (EDC) program was established in 1986. In the same year, the half-day Kindergarten was extended to full day; again to better meet the needs of our parent community.
The preschool was built as an addition to the school in the summer of 1988. As technology became a mandated part of the school curriculum, a full-time computer teacher was hired in 1991. At the time the library also served as the computer lab. In 1992, the computer lab was moved to its present location in the former convent, now called the Ministry Center. As funding became available, another area became a dedicated Science room. In 2010, an addition was made to our preschool which necessitated the closing of our school library. Forming a library committee under parent-volunteer direction, the former science room was transformed into a delightful, well-stocked school library. With the financial support of founding members of the parish, a dedicated Religion nook to the library was created. The school is fortunate to have an all-volunteer library corps to staff our library so that all students may enjoy their scheduled library time each week. The library is also available to students at other times of the day when accompanied by an adult.
The biggest change happened in the summer of 2021, when Shea Homes was able to get the facilities a much-needed upgrade in terms of carpeting, bright windows, air conditioning, and a complete revamp of the playground and addition of a turf athletic field. In 2024, one of the storage rooms in the Ministry Center was opened up to add on to our Tech Lab as a Makerspace, creating the opportunity for more STEM enrichment.
The charism of the school has always been its family-friendly community and dedication to our students. As is evident, this school has been a labor of love since its beginning and still remains apparent. Over the past sixty years, parishioner and parent support is a constant, and the administration, faculty, and staff are grateful for the continued generosity of spirit shown by the parish and our extended community. It is our mission to live the Gospel message of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, and in doing so prepare our students to live a Christ centered life in an every changing world.
