Iowa Assessment data shows that St. Edmond eighth-graders are 100 percent proficient in science, while high schoolers scored very high in math, with freshmen being 98 percent proficient while both sophomores and juniors are 96 percent proficient.

Those scores exceed the state and national levels, according to Gibb, who described St. Edmond as a small school with big results.

“There’s a lot of emphasis on taking school seriously here,” Gibb said. “There are very few distractions in the classroom. Teachers are allowed to teach. They don’t have to discipline, they teach, therefore much more learning takes place than in some classrooms in other places.”

Besides testing success, Gibb said this year has been a good one for St. Edmond.

-Messenger photo by Peter Kaspari St. Edmond Catholic School second graders Ty Mericle, left, and Drake Yurkovca, center, play a chess game in the library as Morgan Lewis, right, looks on.

“The student body has been wonderful,” she said. “Our whole purpose of Catholic education is to really raise the next generation of saints. And I think we are doing that every day.”

As proof of that, Gibb said, is that around Easter, five students will become Catholic.

“I think that speaks volumes to the education they’re getting here at St. Ed’s,” she said.

The school also recently made some changes to its marketing department.

“We just launched our Gain a Gael program that will benefit our current families and any new family they bring in,” Gibb said. “They will each get $500 off tuition, and for our current families there’s no limit. So if they bring in a number of new families, they could not have to pay any tuition next year.”

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen A group of St. Edmond Elementary School second-graders cheer on the Gaels during the homecoming parade Friday afternoon.

Lately the school has also been promoting its educational savings accounts and has been visiting with state legislators about it.

Gibb also complimented the teaching staff at St. Edmond.

“We’ve had some really great hires this year, and I’ve already got some great hires lined up for next year,” she said. “I’m really striving to have some great new hires that can be wonderful role models to our students, who really live their Catholic faith in their daily lives.”

In the coming weeks and months, Gibb said students and staff are looking forward to the upcoming musical, as well as spring and summer sports, with the ultimate goal of finishing up the year academically strong.

A recent addition to the school is a literacy reading room, which has $20,000 worth of new books for elementary students.

“It’s a great addition,” Gibb said.

She added the school has also added coding to the fifth-grade curriculum as well as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics projects throughout the entire school’s curriculum.

“The other thing our students do a lot of is community service,” Gibb said. “We’re just continuing some of our cool community service projects and just keep spreading the word of our faith-filled education.”

Gibb also said that St. Edmond is open to people of all faiths, not just those who practice Catholicism.

“In fact, our growing enrollment has come from other faiths’ students, and we very much welcome those students as well as our own Catholic families that would like to check us out,” she said. “We’re always willing to give a tour or set up an appointment with me or anybody else they would like to visit with in a classroom, or teacher, or any grade level.”

In an email, St. Edmond Principal Linda Mitchell also touted the school’s successes.

“First and foremost, we had a dedicated and caring faculty that challenge and encourage our students to learn,” Mitchell said. “Our assessments indicate this. Also we are a faith-based school that works at living our mission every day.”

“We are not perfect,” Mitchell added, “but it is our goal to promote Christ in our students’ lives.”

Other highlights from St. Edmond

• The Rev. Patrick Behm joined Holy Trinity Parish in the fall as priest and school chaplain. Behm said at the time he wanted to take an active role in the lives of the students. He said he makes time to pray with the students and keeps regular office hours for students who want to speak with him. Behm was born in Fort Dodge and grew up in Storm Lake, and prior to coming to St. Edmond had been associate pastor at the All Saints Catholic Parish and chaplain of Gehlen Catholic Schools in Le Mars.

• While in Washington, D.C. for the March for Life in January, students and chaperones noticed several homeless people throughout the city. They decided to prepare care packages for the homeless. The packages included toothbrushes, toothpaste, cough drops, snacks and socks.

• St. Edmond will also be expanding its 1:1 laptop program to the entire school. Right now, students in eighth grade and above participate in the initiative, but soon all grades will join as well, with each student getting their own laptop.