Welcome to Erie Catholic
Welcome to the Erie Catholic School System, a community where faith, learning, and growth come together to shape the hearts and minds of young people. At our school campuses, we believe education is about more than just academics—it’s about nurturing the whole child. Each day, our students experience a blend of rigorous academics, meaningful spiritual formation, and personal development, all within a warm, supportive environment. Our preschool-through-eighth-grade campuses include:
- Our Lady of Peace
- Saint George School
- Saint James School
- Saint Jude School
- Saint Luke School
Our dedicated teachers and staff are committed to fostering curiosity, encouraging character, and instilling values that last a lifetime. We focus not only on academic excellence but also on building a foundation of faith, kindness, and service. Here, children are seen, known, and loved, with individual needs met through personalized attention and small class sizes.
If you’re exploring the possibilities of Catholic education, we invite you to learn more about our schools, meet our passionate educators, and experience the community spirit that makes Erie Catholic special. Whether you’re interested in enrolling your child or simply learning more about who we are, we look forward to welcoming you into our community.
Latest News
Pictured: Students from Our Lady of Peace School who earned top placements at the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science, alongside Mrs. Ehrman, OLP’s PJAS faculty coordinator, at the recent regional competition.
Inside a gym buzzing with excitement, two Erie Catholic teams—Saint Jude’s Raider Robotics and Saint George’s LEGO Lancers—joined 25 other groups from across the region to compete in FIRST LEGO League’s regional tournament. The energy was contagious as students huddled over their robot tables, coaches leaned in with encouragement, teams cheered loudly for one another, and kindness flowed as freely as the creativity on display. For many of our students, this was their first time ever competing in an event like this. Yet from the opening round, it was clear they were not only prepared, but they were also ready to soar. Saint Jude’s Raider Robotics quickly realized they were holding their own against teams with years of experience. Their determination paid off as the Raiders earned second place with 335 points in the Robot Competition, a remarkable accomplishment for a first-year team navigating their first official meet. As their coach shared, they didn’t know what to expect walking in, but they left knowing they belonged. “We knew the competition was experienced and we didn’t have any idea of what to expect at the tournament,” said Brian Rehrig, parent and coach for the Raider Robotics team. “It was a pleasant surprise and testament to the team’s hard work to compete with the other teams so effectively.” Just a few tables over, Saint George’s LEGO Lancers were having a standout day of their own. Made up mostly of fifth- and sixth-graders, the Lancers earned second place for their Innovation Project, taking home a LEGO trophy that will soon find its place in the campus's display case. Their robot performance was equally impressive, tying for 8th place overall and scoring 230 points. “One of the judges came up to me afterward to say how impressed he was with the team and how strong our trajectory looks going forward,” said Kevin Miceli, parent and coach of the LEGO Lancers. “We’ve got our sights set on states next year!” This season’s FIRST LEGO League challenge was built around the theme “UNEARTHED℠,” inviting students into an archaeological-inspired adventure that connects the past with the future. Teams explored how artifacts, innovations, and discoveries from long ago can inform and inspire the solutions of tomorrow. While each campus celebrated its own achievements, the weekend was also a testament to what is possible when our system and parents come together to invest in hands-on learning. Parents volunteered hours after school and PTOs helped get things off the ground. Families rearranged schedules to get children to practices and competitions. And through it all, the system’s commitment to STEAM learning created space for students to explore robotics, coding, engineering, and teamwork in ways that strengthen both confidence and academic growth. According to the MIT Media Lab, research consistently shows that hands-on, experiential learning can increase retention by up to 90% and robotics in particular strengthens problem-solving, spatial reasoning, and mathematical thinking. Meanwhile, programs like FIRST LEGO League are linked to increased confidence, teamwork skills, and long-term interest in STEM. These opportunities align beautifully with how children at this age learn best: through doing, experimenting, collaborating, failing safely, and trying again while surrounded by adults who believe in their potential. “Opportunities like FIRST LEGO League make challenging students in new ways accessible even to our youngest learners,” said Lisa Panighetti, Vice President of Academic Affairs for Erie Catholic. “It gives students a chance to explore, imagine, build, and work together in ways that reflect the very best of what we want for them academically and personally.” FIRST Lego League has programming for preschool through eighth grade. Erie Catholic will continue exploring how to widen these opportunities within Erie Catholic, ensuring more of our students can participate in this kind of joyful, meaningful learning. Congratulations, Raider Robotics and LEGO Lancers teams! Thank you for representing your campuses with joy and humility. We can’t wait to see what they dream up next season!
The Erie Catholic School System is expanding its Erie Knights Lacrosse program to include all K-8 grade levels within the system, now including kindergarten through second graders. Since its launch five years ago, Erie Catholic Knights Lacrosse has steadily strengthened in participation, coaching, and vision. When the program first began, the long-term goal was always to create an athletic pathway that would eventually welcome students of all ages. That vision now becomes reality as Erie Catholic introduces the sport to its youngest learners at a time when lacrosse is experiencing unprecedented interest across the country. “We are so excited to continue growing lacrosse at the youth level as this has been the goal since we started this program,” said Andrew Smykowski, coach for the team. “It’s been great to get lacrosse in front of as many boys and girls as possible. It is truly for everyone and we want to share that in a fun, fast paced environment that focuses on the development of our students.” Over the past two decades, lacrosse has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing team sports in the United States, with national participation more than tripling since the early 2000s. This trend is especially strong at the youth and scholastic levels, where more families seek sports that blend conditioning, skill development, strategy, and teamwork. This national surge underscores that Erie Catholic is not simply expanding a program—it is opening the door for students to participate in a sport whose momentum and appeal are rising across the country. “Athletics help form confident and capable students,” said Travis Washko, president of Erie Catholic. "Providing our youngest students the opportunity to experience a sport like lacrosse allows them to grow in ways that support their whole development.” Lacrosse supports coordination, balance, and spatial awareness while also encouraging communication, cooperation, and confidence, which is developmentally aligned with how younger children learn best. National youth clinics show that roughly 85% of new players are experiencing lacrosse for the first time in early elementary grades, demonstrating how well the sport fits the needs and interests of young learners. “Beginning with foundational skills is fundamental to athletic success as our students move on to competitive programs,” said Tanner Verplancke, athletic director at Erie Catholic. “It creates a natural and healthy developmental pathway that benefits students in athletics and in the classroom.” Students interested in playing may attend an upcoming clinic before season registration begins in March. For more information, parents may download the information flyer in PlusPortals or reach out to Coach Smykowski directly: andrew.smykowski@cathedralprep.com.
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