Our Lady of Lourdes in Bethesda

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“they Lack academic proven structure and dont carry Themselves of confidence”…what does that even mean?

It’s probably best not to take too much to heart when academic criticisms come from someone with no grasp of the rules of capitalization or apostrophes.

[Anonymous]

The principal is a real problem. He is right about some things, but take many things way too far, and makes it unpleasant for the parents and kids. He doesn’t even seem to enjoy being principal. Could be possible he retires soon.

[Anonymous]

Stay away!

[Anonymous]

Context? Why?

[Anonymous]

I deeply deeply regret my children’s time there. Avoid at all costs.

[Anonymous]

Oh no! What happened? I just heard from a family on our rec. soccer team how great it has been for her daughter.

[Anonymous]

The principal actively tells children not to listen to their parents, pulls children out of instructional time for endless lectures, and is totally focused on making the children look good, rather than actually being good. He also badmouths all the other Catholic schools and students who’ve left the school. You get into it and realize that due to its location, it has great parents who like discipline, but the longer children are there, the more sad they become, as he will publicly shame the children in front of the whole school. Some children are fine because they are the “chosen ones” (usually big donors or parishioners) but some children are truly targeted. He also has closed door disciplinary meetings with the children, and they often come out crying. The girls soccer team is great because it’s run by the parents (dads) with almost no input by the principal. Even so, he’s publicly dressed down these coaches to the children.

It’s not a good place to have a child in general. But agree with the previous poster, great location, and generally nice parents.

[Anonymous]

This place has always been run by crazy old school Catholics. I know, I unfortunately went there.

[Anonymous]

+1 We lived this. All of this is 100% true.

Anonymous wrote:The principal actively tells children not to listen to their parents, pulls children out of instructional time for endless lectures, and is totally focused on making the children look good, rather than actually being good. He also badmouths all the other Catholic schools and students who’ve left the school. You get into it and realize that due to its location, it has great parents who like discipline, but the longer children are there, the more sad they become, as he will publicly shame the children in front of the whole school. Some children are fine because they are the “chosen ones” (usually big donors or parishioners) but some children are truly targeted. He also has closed door disciplinary meetings with the children, and they often come out crying. The girls soccer team is great because it’s run by the parents (dads) with almost no input by the principal. Even so, he’s publicly dressed down these coaches to the children.

It’s not a good place to have a child in general. But agree with the previous poster, great location, and generally nice parents.

[Anonymous]

Who in the right mind would keep their children there with all of the accounts of how awful the school and principal are to the kids. There are plenty of other better parochial schools near by, it is insane that anyone is even attending the school with all the negativity people share about the program there. Get out now and look for another school
Instead of commenting on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

We left OLOL once we realized it was so toxic and the damage it was doing to our family, plus what it was teaching our child as being acceptable....which absolutely wasn't!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who in the right mind would keep their children there with all of the accounts of how awful the school and principal are to the kids. There are plenty of other better parochial schools near by, it is insane that anyone is even attending the school with all the negativity people share about the program there. Get out now and look for another school
Instead of commenting on DCUM.

What a strange response. And I am not the PP. As a family that had to go through this, part of the reason we ended up there is because there was NOT adequate information on how bad the school was on DCUM. If we had known how badly the principal targets certain children, and how his BS “this is Mayberry” was false and was a feeder to “everyone else is horrible and doesn’t understand God or my mission (like the cult in M Night Shyamalan’s The Village), we would not have sent our kids there.

In general, I think it’s really important for parents to share this type of thing on DCUM, so that the community can at least try to minimize the harm to children. Clearly the Archdiocese is not doing its job in protecting children by allowing this person to stay.

[Anonymous]

Just FYI, St. Bart’s does offer special services for neurodivergent kids but the program was full with waitlist as of Spring 2026.

They also have a special admissions period for parishioners in the late Fall for the following year. May want to register as parishioner and get on that early admissions list if you are seriously interested.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just FYI, St. Bart’s does offer special services for neurodivergent kids but the program was full with waitlist as of Spring 2026.

They also have a special admissions period for parishioners in the late Fall for the following year. May want to register as parishioner and get on that early admissions list if you are seriously interested.

You’re not suggesting some game the system” to get an advantage, I hope.

[Anonymous]

How does St Bart’s have a waitlist when MANY families have left????