History
Founded: OLMC School
Today: OLMC School
Our Lady of Mount Carmel School is a Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade Catholic School located in Newport News, Virginia. OLMC School opened in the fall of 1954 under the direction of the Carmelite Fathers, who had recently established Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish. Father Piper, the pastor, asked the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia Congregation of Nashville, Tennessee to staff the school. Sister Marie William was assigned as the first principal, and Sister Raphael and Sister Mary Benedict were the first teachers. The Dominican Sisters have continuously served in the roles of administrator and teachers at the school.
In 1990, the parish transferred from the Carmelite Order to the Diocese of Richmond and Monsignor Michael McCarron became its first diocesan pastor. In June of 2005, Father Ken Wood became pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish; and, in July of 2012, Father John David Ramsey followed Fr. Wood. In 2019, Father Dan Beeman was assigned as the pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church and continues to serve the parish to this day.
As a part of the Richmond Diocese, the school follows diocesan curriculum guidelines, incorporating religion with other core subjects. Staffed with fully qualified, professional and dedicated teachers, the academic program stresses basic skills and the full growth of each child according to individual talents and abilities. In addition to emphasizing the importance of high academics and basic skills, children at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School are provided opportunities to develop their skills in Spanish, art, computer, library, music, and physical education.
In 2009, Our Lady of Mount Carmel School was awarded the National Blue Ribbon for excellence in education by the United States Department of Education, the highest honor a school can receive. In 2012, we were awarded the district honor of being named the Best Private School in Hampton Roads!
Our Lady of Mount Carmel School was among the first schools in Virginia to be designated as a Purple Star School in 2018, indicating excellence in serving military families. Additionally, the 2018-2019 school year brought to completion the addition of an outdoor classroom to OLMC for our continued STREAM education.
During the 2020 school closure, which resulted from the COVID-19 Pandemic, Our Lady of Mount Carmel School transitioned to distance learning over one weekend. The final quarter of the 2019-2020 school year was different and challenging, but our teachers and students maintained their studies through Google Classroom, Zoom, and many prepared materials. We reopened for in-person instruction in the fall of 2020 and have persevered in walking by faith and holding onto hope in the midst of difficulty in order to continue the good work of education God is doing in and through our school. When students arrived on campus in the fall of 202o, we shared the good news that OLMC was named by the Cardinal Newman Society a Catholic Education Honor Roll School!
Today, Our Lady of Mount Carmel School forms bright futures for students in Pre-K through 8th grade. OLMC is fully accredited by Middle States Association. Our Lady of Mount Carmel School has a long standing reputation in Hampton Roads and is well-known to maintain the traditions of the Roman Catholic Faith while stressing academic excellence.