St. Felix Catholic School 2.36

St. Felix Catholic School is located in Wabasha, Minnesota. The school is a part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona; it currently has one campus, housing grades PreSchool through sixth. Each class averages about 10 students per class.HistorySt. Felix is a small Catholic school that serves a rural small town of mostly Catholic families with various working backgrounds. St. Felix Catholic School has served the Wabasha and surrounding communities for over 150 years. St. Felix Parish was founded in the same year the territory of Minnesota was granted statehood, in 1858, by Reverend Felix Tissot. Tissot served the local Native American and settler populations who, by the 1860s, wanted to enrich their children’s lives and build their faith with a strong parochial education.In 1871, two School Sisters of Notre Dame and a candidate for their order arrived in the village of Wabasha. Two days later, with the permission of the pastor, Father James Trobeck, St. Felix School opened in the parish church basement with Sister Mary Venantia and Sister Mary Saturnina holding classes for 87 students.The new parochial school enjoyed steady growth. In 1881, the enrollment at St. Felix School numbered 185 and by the next year, it was up to 200 students. On July 4, 1901 the cornerstone to the First St. Felix School building was laid. St. Felix School became the third Catholic school in Minnesota established by the Notre Dame Order and it was ready for its first four-year high school graduates in 1909. Four girls shared the honor of being the first to graduate from St. Felix.St. Felix School’s program and enrollment growth continued under the experienced guidance of religious and lay teachers. Scholars and athletic teams established a proud reputation, capturing many honors. By 1966, there were 541 students. In 1968, in the face of economic hardship, the parish reluctantly voted to close St. Felix High School in 1968. Since then, a first through sixth grade elementary program has continued to flourish and has prospered as a Catholic, innovative center of learning embedding Gospel values within the curriculum. Individual attention is given to each student by a highly qualified teaching staff which develops all the student’s talents through a progressive program of instruction.