Hibler said the parish supports the staff’s commitment to a quality, affordable Catholic education. The school has a low staff turnover rate, with the average years of experience for teachers at nearly 14 years.

St. Jude, which opened in 1950, was named a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 1996. It is an EdChoice, EdChoice Expansion, Jon Peterson Special Needs and Ohio Autism Scholarship provider, Molly added. “The many scholarship opportunities create an educationally diverse population, which defines who we are and is reflected in our mission and statement of beliefs,” she said. “It serves as a model of inclusion for a diverse student population, including those with learning differences.”

One of the students in the inclusion program is Molly Durham, a seventh grader with cerebral palsy who uses a motorized wheelchair and takes advantage of the special services offered at St. Jude, including physical and speech therapy. Molly is one of 60 students with an individualized education plan, also known as an IEP, to help meet her needs in the classroom.

Jennifer said sometimes the students are taken out of the classroom to work on specific skills, but most of their needs are met in the classroom with their peers. Six intervention specialists help students like Molly with their special needs.

“We have everything from students who have autism to hearing issues to cerebral palsy to a reading disability, or maybe even just a speech need. But our philosophy is that we meet their needs within the classroom,” Jennifer said. “And if we cannot meet their needs, we’re going to let the parents and the students know because it’s not fair to them.” If that is the case, she said they will network with the family to find a place that can better serve the student.

Jennifer said it’s important to limit the number of special needs students in each classroom, which St. Jude caps at 20% per classroom. “Most of the students don’t know who has special needs and who doesn’t. With some students, you can tell by their appearance, and with others, you can’t. The students just accept everyone for who they are because God created them all.”

The students all want to be “typical,” she said, “so being in the same classroom, riding the same bus, being able to do the same sports and participating in the same clubs is huge because people see beyond what they can physically see many times in a disability. Many parents want their students here because they want them to be around typical peers, because those peers are who they’re learning from. And for the students who are here, it teaches them grace. It teaches them acceptance. It teaches them to love everyone just like Jesus taught us.”

Jennifer said that’s the embodiment of their program. “This is what Jesus wanted, for us to include everyone, for everyone to have a part, to be cared for no matter how different they are. And that’s how our children see these other students.”

That’s true for Molly Durham, despite her physical challenges. She has a group of friends who stick with her.

“They do it because they want to,” Hibler said. “They love her and she’s their friend.”

Elliot and Megan, both seventh graders, are two of Molly’s friends.

“There’s a song we sing in church, ‘All are Welcome,’ so I think that proclaims the message of the Gospel, not only in this place, but all over the world. It’s definitely important that we come together as a school every Friday to praise God, to go to church,” Elliot said. “Jesus healed blind people. He ate with sinners. He healed lepers. I think that really shows that we should invite everyone and we should not only be friends with them but help them every day.”

Megan agreed, adding, “Everybody’s just a human and they’re all the same. And God wants us to treat all equally. I think everybody helps each other (at school) and includes everyone. I think that’s what God wants.”

On-site services available at St. Jude School

• Speech therapy
• Physical therapy
• Occupational therapy
• A nurse
• Intervention services

By the numbers

• Faculty and staff: 105
• Average years’ experience for teachers: 13.74
• K-8 enrollment: 504
• Preschool enrollment: 58
• Student population hails from 19 school districts and 25 ZIP codes.