Our History

The history of Saint Louis Covenant School is rooted in the vision of its former Pastor, the Very Reverend James F. Fetscher. In the fall of 1992, his vision, based on creating Catholic culture for young children while assembling an environment for adult catechesis, would materialize in the form of St. Louis Catholic Preschool.

The founding Director and teacher, Mrs. Christine Mathisen, along with Mrs. Mary Blanco, our first teacher assistant, inaugurated the preschool with 16 three and four-year-old students and their parents, forming the first community of families.

From the very inception of the school, the parents were actively involved in the life of the school. In accordance with the Church's teaching that parents are the first educators of their children, especially in matters of faith, the parents were encouraged to participate in the daily life of the school by volunteering in the classrooms, attending Mass and serving on a school ministry. This vision still remains today and is at the heart of our school community.

It is for this reason that the school became known as Saint Louis Covenant School, a school in which all stakeholders form a covenant with each other for the education and spiritual formation of the children. Working in the covenant community through ministry involvement, parents begin to further comprehend the purpose of community -- to know, love and serve Jesus Christ.

Chronological History of
Saint Louis Covenant School

1990s

In 1994, after prayerful consideration and numerous petitions from the school families, the preschool expanded to include kindergarten. It was also determined that the school would continue to add additional grade levels per year. In 1997, the Village of Pinecrest issued its building permit granting St. Louis Catholic Church permission to build an elementary school. The existing preschool would need a new name, one that would reflect the unique nature of the parish and its school.

The school had created a family of believers; pilgrims on a journey together developing a deeper relationship with God. These families had forged partnerships with each other and the school. It became clear that the new name should have the word "covenant" in it, signifying the promise each family made to each other to provide the faith environment they needed to grow closer to God, thus providing strong models for their children.

In 1999, the parish began a building fund to underwrite the cost of a new building. The groundbreaking began with a ceremony and blessing by Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy. Over the next two years, work continued on the school building.

2000s

On August 25th, 2001, on the feast of St. Louis, Archbishop John Favalora blessed the new school building in a joyful celebration with the entire St. Louis Catholic Community.

The school continued to welcome more students, adding one grade level per school year. Eventually, each grade level grew to two classes per grade.

By 2002, the first middle school students in sixth grade moved upstairs to the second floor of the building. The first 8th grade graduating class received their certificates of completion in June 2005.

2010s

In the fall of 2010, the parish and school welcomed Reverend Father Paul Vuturo as Pastor. In 2010, the school welcomed it youngest students ever with the addition of PreK 2. In 2013, Saint Louis welcomed Mr. Edward Garcia as principal.

In order to prepare our students for the ever-changing demands of technology, a 1:1 iPad program was implemented in grades 5th through 8th in 2014. In 2015, the construction of the Monsignor James Fetscher Fellowship Center began and was completed in 2016. In the fall of 2018, the Literacy First: The Science of Reading teaching framework was introduced to the faculty members of the school.

This researched-based and data-driven instructional framework for teaching key literacy skills was first adopted in the elementary grade levels. The school established its STREAM Program that began in 2019, which fosters cross-curricular learning to include Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics.

2020s

Further expansion of the Literacy First: The Science Reading teaching framework continues, as it now includes middle school and preschool. In 2021, our annual fund, the Crusader Fund, was established as its main source of fundraising and development.

This fund allows us to consolidate our fundraising efforts and has a direct impact on the learning environment and programs that define the covenant experience. During the 2022-2023 school year, the school celebrated 30 years of Catholic education. In 2023, Saint Louis welcomed its current Pastor, Reverend Father Gabriel Vigués. In 2024, Saint Louis welcomed its current principal, Mrs. Julie Perdomo.

At present, the school's enrollment is over 500 students and fully-accredited by the Florida Catholic Conference. Saint Louis Covenant School alumni have gone on to be successful in high school, college, and professional careers. Some of our most notable alumni include teachers at our school and a current priest serving the Archdiocese of Miami.