Msgr. John Sammon founded St. Cecilia School in 1961. The Sisters of Mercy and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange were the early administrators. The school began with 8 trailers, two for each grade. The bathrooms were two little outhouses, which soon became little shacks. And before there were drinking fountains, students had to stand in line for the daily ration of one cup of water from the water cooler. The playground was a small dirt field covered with gravel. By the following year the school moved from the trailers into the brick school building.
St. Cecilia Parish encompassed Irvine as well as Tustin at the time and there were no other Catholic Schools for many miles south, so students were bussed from far away farms and new housing developments. Since there were two classes of each grade through the years, there have been over 2,000 graduates. Many of the graduates have gone on to Mater Dei High School.
In 1966, St. Cecilia students gave their first performance with a mural covering the window of classroom 6A as a background. Today we have great performances at Christmas and every spring on a theater stage with professional lighting and sound.
The graduating class of 1969 was the first class that went through St. Cecilia School for the whole 8 years. By then the school had a sports program that encompassed football, basketball, baseball, volleyball and a cheerleading team!
Four of the graduates have become priests and are giving back to the community: Father Steve Sallot, Pastor at St. Edward Parish in Dana Point (and former Rector at Mater Dei), Father Gerald Horan, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Orange, Father Mike Matthews at Notre Dame in Indiana and our very own Father John McAndrew of St. Cecilia.
Many alumni are currently sending their own children to St. Cecilia School and four current teachers graduated from St. Cecilia. Three teachers bridge the generations, having each taught at St. Cecilia School for an average of 15 years, forming generations in Gospel values and academic growth: Mrs. Nancy Hoskin, Mrs. Diane Truxaw and Mrs. Beth Rojo.
The school has an outstanding tradition in academic achievement and sports, built on Gospel values and faith. Today, our school has new upgraded classrooms, a great computer room with, a wonderful art lab and a well-equipped science lab. The parents, staff and parish members have developed a community of support for the students. Over the past five years St. Cecilia students have consistently won awards in the Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts Junior Art Exhibit, Orange County Imagination Celebration, Chapman University Holocaust Art and Writing Contest, Academic Decathlon and team sports. In 2006, St. Cecilia School received the prestigious No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Award for high test scores in reading and math. The school is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and Western Catholic Education Association.
