One of St Mary's county's middle schools. I use the athletic facility outside. Two tennis courts…read morethat have pickleball lines. The basketball court is also marked for pickleball but requires portable nets.

This school is honestly really shitty. Food is bad, the kids do drugs, there are fights everyday…read moreand the teachers don't even teach. That's really it just a really shitty public school.

Unlike the public schools which are controlled by Union people, this school has been open since the…read morebeginning of the school year with no issues due to the virus. Enrollment is up because people want their children to get an actual education. Now those people are also finding out the benefits of Faith formation. If you're tired of the virtual classroom being forced upon you and your children by the government, now is the time to enroll them in a great private school that is also affordable.

This school, which began in 1933, has quite a history. We are proud to be part of that history, and…read morethis year, have met several people who have shared their stories. Today, OLSS School educates grades K-8th, in an environment which teaches the "whole child". The curriculum is rich in math, science, social studies and language arts. It includes Spanish beginning in Kindergarten, which is when it's best to teach any language. Also included is computer keyboarding , Art, Music, Band and PE. There is one teacher per grade, and that class size is small. Students may have an opportunity to accelerate as needed, however the curriculum is advanced and challenging, thus meeting the individual needs of each student. Parents may request a change or identify if a student is having difficulty and each situation is thus addressed as needed. Each child, and their learning styles is considered. It always helps to have parent involvement, as parents know their children from the start. I am a proud parent and volunteer from this school. I have two children who have attended since Kindergarten, and would not send my children anywhere else! Not only are the teachers passionate about teaching their students, but the parents have a sense of ownership and become as involved as they can in many ways. That sense of ownership is pride in our school. Even parents who work full time, find a way to lend a hand, or spread news about our school. Teachers take the time to get to know each student, and thus can make necessary changes and or recommendations in a team approach. OLSS Students learn character that lasts a lifetime. Trust, sharing, confidence, and perseverance are some of the concepts taught. Rules are followed and good behavior is expected. Students learn "old time" skills such as cursive handwriting , which is still important in today's world. The students have morning afternoon prayer time. Students attend Mass (usually on Wed.) and are provided with opportunities to shine in many ways. Some students use their talents in speaking to their peers, which is encouraged during assigned mass times. Each class takes a turn leading the Mass, and this helps children become comfortable reading to others and develops self confidence. Our students wear a uniform each day, which for many is a wonderful and easy way to start the day. Children don't need to wear fancy clothing to be unique. Our students do have "fun" tag days which usually revolve around a theme, and often the dollar or quarter goes to a charity. They participate in many community service projects, many of those will give them memories helping their environment, or those in need. Students at OLSS School know what it is like to "give" and how helping others is part of their helping to do God's work. OLSS Students are successful in community competitions. They have a sense of pride in participation of the County Spelling Bee, Science Fair and other competitions and sporting events. They learn fair play and how to loose as much as how to win. Many of our Alumnus have gone on to successful career paths, and some have shared their experience with our parents and students. We hope to continue to grow our school, to share our strong values with other Christians, and to do God's work to help educate students for a lifetime one at a time through building strong character and leadership.

I went to this school for 6 years and it's been a heck of a long time (10 years to be exact) since…read moreI graduated so there's a chance I could be wrong and it's better and honestly I hope so. Regardless, I lived my days in this school alone because it's so full of cliques that you are either in the crowd or you are living your life alone essentially. I never had any opportunity to have any girlfriends either because I was never given any opportunities to talk to ladies in my class. I honestly don't think the administration tried to discourage the cliques because they made us all wear fancy clothing on Wednesdays for their chapel and yet they never once preached on fellowship or talked about it in the morning studies. Also, they're very strict sometimes about rules so many of them that it's essentially dependent on whether or not your teacher plans to give you a demerit because there's so many rules you will get sent for anything even if it's just a bad word. Even in high school one bad word will get you sent to the administrators office and you'll end up explaining your life away while your classmates have fun. It's way too strict for a Christian school and provides few opportunities to learn the kind of classes that public school offers. Parents please remember at least the last thing that your kids aren't going to be the same educational opportunities that they'd get at the local public schools so you definitely have to see the pros and cons on this one. The teachers are okay don't get me wrong but a school charging for tuition should be thinking of what they're going to do to allow at least the same opportunities as a public school. T

Words can explain how amazing this school is! The teachers and staff are absolutely amazing. They…read moretruly live their children and are so proud of their accomplishments. This school has high parent participation and even encourage it by offering tuition discounts. My son started pre-k here in the 2012-2013 school year. Not only did he have a low student-teacher ratio (14:2) but he even had access to an amazing resource teacher. My son had started the school year slightly behind his classmates but by the end of the year he was exactly where he needed to be. Do not let the price of this school discourage you, because it is worth every penny! My husband had reservations at first about this school but after meeting the teachers, and seeing our son come home excited and loving his teachers he was put at ease. In the pre-k class my child has learned to write, count to 100 (to include skip counting by 10's and 5's), sign language (in fact during their concerts the kids would sing and sign their songs), some Spanish, learned about the caterpillar life cycle, helping at the school, the value of life, Jesus sacrifice. They took multiple field trips to learn about animals, strawberries, the pumpkin patch. You will not find more loving or caring teachers than at this school. The principal is even involved and would play the ukulele for my sons class while they learned songs about the alphabet. If we were not in the military my son would absolutely attend this school until he graduated high school. However I am 100% assured that my son was provided the very best beginning.

A five year old brings a toy cowboy gun to school to show a friend. The administrators interrogate…read morehim for two hours without his parents until they frighten him enough to wet his pants. Now he is suspended for the year. This is the current state of Dowell education. This could have been a teaching experience. Instead it has taught this kid to be mistrustful of authority and to be devious and secretive when dealing with them. One has to wonder if the school is concerned about the child of being PC.

This school is so bad, the teachers are great and I love the marching band but it's actually really…read morebad. I am passing all my classes and graduating and made a lot of friends and have never failed a class but it's not that great of school, yeah it shaped me into who I am but I never said I liked who I am overall the Schools pretty mid

A fantastic elementary school. Administration is great. The principal and vice-principal are…read moreabsolutely amazing and have earned my respect and admiration a dozen times over. My son is on the spectrum and he receives everything (and more) that he could possibly need. The staff really go out of their way to do their best for the kids. Absolute professionalism by most. Ms Zeier is an excellent administrator and has our family's complete confidence. We are extremely thankful her and the senior staff are so diligent, attentive and professional. A++++++

If you have children with special needs or require IEP this school's special ed chair/vice…read moreprincipal's efforts to help my children have been pathetic. The out right negligence that the has been exhibited towards my children has been a outright disservice to them. If you have a choice do not send them to this school. Previous IEP records were presented and not read, IEP procedures took almost an entire school year to be put into place despite my request for evaluations at the very beginning of the school year. After moving to another school district it was presented to me that my son was in need of and eligible other services that were not being given to him at Piney Point. This administrator has also not been compliant with our new school's efforts to obtain paperwork and refuses to talk with professionals from the new school who genuinely seem willing to help my children. If you have a choice just don't. I truly wish I had not.