New Name Announced for a Newly Merged Catholic Elementary School

The Diocese of Pittsburgh is pleased to announce a new name for a new elementary school resulting from the merger of St. Anne, St. Bernard, Our Lady of Grace, and St. Thomas More schools in the South Hills.  The school will be named Ave Maria Academy. The merger will take effect on July 1, 2020.
 
Religion teachers guided students in grades 5-8 to research saints and come up with name suggestions. An Implementation Committee made up of parents from each of the four schools submitted final recommendations to Bishop David Zubik, who selected the new name.
 
“I wish to extend my most sincere gratitude to our students, parents, principals, and our regional administrator, Sharon Loughran Brown, for their efforts to assure the success of Ave Maria Academy and the future of Catholic education in the South Hills for generations to come,” Bishop Zubik said.
 
“It has been exciting to see so many involved in this process,” Brown said.  “I’d like to thank the current principals, the new administrative team, parents, students, and the entire Implementation Team for bringing this project to life.  It was truly a collaborative effort.  We could feel the Holy Spirit with us, bringing our community together, as we worked to add a name to our new school.  I am looking forward to seeing the Ave Maria Academy school family thrive under the mantle of our Blessed Mother’s love.”