St. Perpetua
School opened in
September 1963, with an
enrollment of two hundred students in grades one through five. Father John Quinn, Pastor, worked closely
with Sister St. Michael, the first Principal.
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet staffed the school. Thirty-five students were in the first
graduation class on June 10, 1967.
Sister Mary Sevilla
succeeded Sister St. Michael as Principal in September 1968. In the fall of 1974 Sister Patricia Lyons was appointed
Principal. Sister Joanne Clare became
Principal in September 1976 and was followed in September 1984, by Sister Francis Marie Hansen. Linda Story
became Principal in 1994, Joan Burman served as interim Principal in 2001, and Kathleen Radecke became Principal in 2002. Joan Burman once again served as interim principal in 2007. Karen Goodshaw took over as principal in 2008. Molly Gotchet took over as principal in 2022.
Reverend Arthur Ribeiro was
appointed Pastor in 1971, when
failing health forced Reverend John Quinn to resign his Pastorate. Reverend Brian Timoney was appointed Pastor
in June 1980, followed by Reverend John Kennedy in July 1985. Reverend Timothy Johnson
assumed leadership of St. Perpetua Parish in June 1990 followed by Reverend John P. Gilmore in 1991. The
Reverend John Kasper, OSFS, was named Pastor in July 1997. Fr. Jimmy Macalinao became pastor in July, 2022.
In March, 1997, the school was evaluated by the Western Catholic Education
Association. In July of the same year, the Western Association of Schools and
Colleges granted a full six-year term of accreditation. In 2003, 2009, 2015, and 2022, the process was repeated, and Saint Perpetua
School received six-year terms of accreditation for each evaluation.
In the fall of 2002, construction for a 13,000 square foot addition to the school
commenced. This addition included a state-of-the-art science lab/art center,
library resource center, and multi-media center. The 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th
grade classrooms were also renovated, and break-out rooms and offices were
added to the first floor. A new faculty room, restrooms, teacher work rooms,
and catering kitchen were also added to the facility, as well as a hillside
amphitheatre. In 2003, The Garden of Learning was completed, and most
recently, the Religious Resource Center, Kindergarten, and Panther House rooms were
renovated. In 2007, a new hillside landscaping project was
completed, with a pavilion next to the Garden and lunch tables and umbrellas on the upper and
lower lots. Continuing technology additions to each classroom provide 1:1 devices and interactive teaching screens.