Glendale’s Holy Family school marks its 90-year anniversary

Holy Family Grade School, Glendale’s oldest Catholic school, celebrated its 90th anniversary over the weekend with a mass, dinner and fiesta on the same grounds where the school was blessed and opened to the public on Sept. 14, 1925.

For decades, the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary lived in a convent near the school until two years ago, when they moved to Montrose, said Fidela Suelto, the school’s principal. For many years, they taught children at Holy Family.

“The alums who come over and visit lovingly remember them,” Suelto said. “They were taught math writing, and most importantly, faith and discipline.”

Today’s educators on the south Glendale campus continue to instill the importance of faith and set the bar high for students to meet rigorous academic standards, she said.

“It’s really a big challenge for the educators we have right now. They have to do two things. We keep the standards high. At the same time, we invocate the faith. We make sure [students] practice their faith and the values that we teach them,” she said.

Over the years, generations of the same families have attended Holy Family, where about 300 students — from transitional kindergarten through eighth grade — are currently enrolled.

Last Saturday, the students, parents and other members of the community, attended a mass to honor the school, then enjoyed dinner afterward.

On Sunday, the families attended a fiesta at the school, where there were a Ferris wheel, zip line and rock climbing wall, among other activities.

“The children were very happy,” Suelto said.

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Kelly Corrigan, Kelly.Corrigan@latimes.com

Twitter: @kellymcorrigan