From left, Mary and Jerry Wickersham, Mary Fran (Myatt) Payson and Cyndi (Saldivar) Smith look through a 1961 Lourdes yearbook June 4. A farewell celebration for Lourdes Catholic School drew hundreds.
By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
BETTENDORF — A farewell celebration for Lourdes Catholic School drew hundreds June 4. Students, parents, alumni, parishioners and supporters toured the school, shared stories, met up with people whom they hadn’t seen in years, listened to music, ate and had the chance to pick up some Lourdes memorabilia.
Lourdes Catholic School, which opened in 1953, held its last classes 72 years later, the day of the farewell celebration. A new Catholic school, St. Joan of Arc, opens this August in northeast Bettendorf as a collaborative effort of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. John Vianney parishes in Bettendorf.
“This was a very impressive turnout,” said Principal Katie Selden. “It’s incredible,” especially since predicted major storms caused rescheduling of the event with less than a day’s notice.
In the old school’s media center/library, visitors remarked about the changes made since they last walked in this space. Mary and Jerry Wickersham were married there on March 17, 1962 during construction of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. The media/center library served as the church for several years. They pointed out where the altar stood. “My sister got married a year later in the new church,” Mary said.
Mary Fran (Myatt) Payson and Cyndi (Saldivar) Smith graduated in 1961. Cyndi brought along her yearbook. Walking down the hall, they described the changes they noticed as they passed classrooms. White boards replaced blackboards. No overhead projectors. New technology.
Norah Tandy graduated with Lourdes’ last class of eighth-graders on May 29 in the church. “It’s really sad Lourdes will not be here anymore. But I think the new school will be nice.” She thinks Lourdes helped her grow in her faith and build relationships with others. She appreciated the smaller classes.
“I have been here since preschool. I love the small classes and getting to know each other and the teachers,” said incoming eighth-grader Kate Girskis, who will be in the first class to graduate from St. Joan of Arc. While she will miss Lourdes Catholic School, she looks forward to the new school. “It will be fun.”
Katie Rapp Houston drove in from Des Moines for the farewell. She attended preschool through eighth grade and graduated in 1997. She carried a bag with memorabilia from her Lourdes days. “My best friend came in from Chicago. We met here at Lourdes,” she said. She noted that Mr. (Jay) Sawyer, her former physical education teacher, still taught at Lourdes.
“Big Toy” — the playground behind the school — “is still there,” she laughed. “The uniform is the same too,” she said. Among the changes: the gymnasium stage was built after she graduated.
Betsy Polaschek, a Lourdes parishioner and mother of two of the school’s graduates, said she knew just about every nook and cranny of the campus because she was actively involved in Christian Experience Weekend (CEW), which took place there. She enjoyed the final visit and hopes the school’s move north will keep Catholic education alive in Bettendorf.
Teachers and staff started packing boxes before the last day of school, Selden said. Movers arrive June 16 to transport desks, supplies, books and other equipment to the new school. The items will sit in the commons area until the city issues a certificate of occupancy, expected in August. The first day of school in Aug. 25 and will open with a blessing of the school, Selden added.
