As an alumnus, I now see the true value of a Fatima education. Without a doubt the best elementary and middle school in the area.
Joseph Marshall Touma, Class of 2013
The school mission statement sums up my feelings about this wonderful school “Our Lady of Fatima Parish School, where faith, learning and service have no limits.” All my children attend or graduated from this academic institution. The school welcomes children of all faiths. Prejudice and religious intolerance are not allowed. Everyone prays together, from the little tiny ones with their prayers for a sick dog to the middle school students with prayers about the uncertainty of growing up. Spanish is taught in preschool. There is an outstanding band program from 4th to 8th grades, but the love of music is taught beginning in preschool. A “first you, then me” attitude is fostered in all the grades. Community service is required for the older students. But, it is a beautiful thing to see the younger grades offering their time and talents to help the poor in the community. Many of the staff are alumni of the school, which speaks volumes. Electives such as, Introduction to Modern Medicine, Guitar, Culinary Skills, Public Speaking, and Theater are offered to the middle school, another bonus you will not find at any grade/middle school in the state of WV.
I really want to share with you how very pleased we have been with OLOF – It surpasses our previous school experience by far, quite honestly. As parents we appreciate the consistent communication and the teachers professionalism in communication and organization. Our child really likes it and it has been a good transition for her! It is family here and everything I always I expected a Catholic school should be!Our Thanks to the staff for preserving and nurturing this wonderful environment!
I have taught at Our Lady of Fatima Parish School for 4 decades. Also, I sent my son to school here. He is now a neurologist at Vanderbilt and received his fantastic start at Fatima. Besides learning fantastic study skills, the students learn manners, compassion, and their importance as individuals. Many of our students are valedictorians and salutatorians at local high schools and National Merit Scholars. Teachers, students, and parents feel like family, and students are encouraged to excel. Our school is “simply the best.”
As an alumnus of Our Lady of Fatima, I always knew Fatima would be the choice of school for where my
husband and I would send our six children. The school has been consistent in excellence during the 35
years since I was an 8th-grade student to the present day. High standards but reachable expectations are
envisioned for each student. It is an awesome feeling to watch your child, “bloom where they are
planted.” One of my children is special needs. The Title 1 teacher worked alongside my daughter’s
teachers to propel her forward in her education, making sure she wasn’t left behind. The preschool
teachers can collaborate with Birth to Three services and monitor development or delays. Cabell County
provides speech therapy and English as second language teachers to work with students who may
struggle with articulating their needs. Every educational need of my children, who varied on all different
academic levels, was met by the faculty and staff at Our Lady of Fatima School. During my time as a
student at Fatima, the school adopted the motto, A.I.D.G. (Ad Infinitum Dei Gloriam), which means For
the Infinite Glory of God. Today, Our Lady of Fatima continues to teach and guide its students with
that knowledge. They are God’s children and respect all creeds while embracing the differences in their
fellow classmates.
Some of my favorite memories from the 2011- 2012 school year involve taking the 8th grade class to Washington DC. After a year of planning and fundraising, 12 eighth graders travelled to Washington DC to stay for 3 days and 2 nights.Throughout the trip I remained impressed by the attitude of our students and proud of their behavior. Despite the fact that we were surrounded by groups of students from other schools who rushed past monuments and memorials without pausing their conversations or glancing up from their cell phones, our students remained thoughtful, respectful and well-behaved. Even on the last day, when exhaustion was setting in, they managed to take the time to read and learn from the exhibits we visited.
I was most impressed with the respect they showed at the Holocaust Museum, where I witnessed two groups of our students really interacting with an exhibit on Nazi Propaganda- slowing down to read, making comments, asking questions, and figuring out the answers. Out of respect for the people to which this museum is dedicated, our students slowed and paid attention, and they learned more than the typical 14-year-old as a result.
I am proud to be part of a school where respect and good behavior have a place of high importance, and it was lovely to see the eighth graders putting these skills into practice in the outside world, in spite of what their peers around them may have been doing.
Great school with an awesome academic program, and caring involved teachers. The staff is attentive to both student and parent needs. The school also participates in state and community athletic programs. The weekly mass for the kids is wonderful with the students filling the roles from reading to altar-serving. The school is also attentive to the needs of special needs children, helping them to fit in perform with the rest of their peers. It is a Catholic School, but please do not let that discourage you at all; Our Lady of Fatima Parish School does not teach or condone religious prejudice. Students of many faiths may be found at OLOF, studying and learning together.