A view of the front entrance to Northwoods Catholic School.

The following article was first printed on The Villager website, www.thewoodlandsvillager.com, a Houston Community Newspaper. Reprinted with permission.

Northwoods Catholic School adds new space

By Lauren Hodges

Northwoods Catholic School’s recently completed second floor addition to an existing one-story building marks the latest step in a plan toward the eventual construction of a high school at its 51-acre campus in Spring.

The new second floor at the private Catholic school, located at 5500 FM 2920 near the Gosling Road intersection, was blessed Friday by Father Scott Reilly, LC. Reilly is the new local superior for the Legionaries of Christ community in Houston and the former territorial director for the Atlanta Territory. He will work with the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and Cardinal Daniel DiNardo to foster continued school growth.

The private, independent Catholic School is supported by and espouses the ideals of the Legionaries of Christ, a worldwide order of priests founded in Mexico.

The school is run by Jorge Lerdo, the executive director who oversees the principal, chaplain, admissions director, development director and business manager.

A few touch-ups on the newly constructed second floor are to be completed by the first day of class Wednesday. Construction started at the end of the last school year.

The second floor will house a new library, computer lab, science labs and offices.

Founded in September 1999 with 13 students, Northwoods enrolls about 230 pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade students.

“Forty percent of our families come from The Woodlands; the Creekside area, Sterling Ridge, several families come from Panther Creek and Indian Springs,” Lerdo said.

The school is 44,000 square feet on the bottom level and 22,000 square feet on the second level. The school was expanded to increase enrollment numbers and to make room for special subjects, which include library, science, art and music. A special music room was created on the second floor with improved acoustics, along with executive offices. This also will increase the school’s classroom space.

Enrollment at the school has increased by about 10 percent per year since the school opened. The expansion allows NCS to put more students on the ground floor to accommodate the growth.

The next phase in the school’s ongoing expansion includes adding a gym and high school. There are 51 acres to work with at the site, and building will begin based on donations. No timetable has been set for the high school.

“That is kind of like a God project,” Lerdo said. “It depends on the progress of the fundraising that we do and is determined by God’s time.”

Lerdo said the overall project is being funded with a blend of benefactors, including parents of students, as well as fundraising efforts including a yearly gala. The next gala takes place Feb. 19.

“We are hoping to raise more than $400,000 that night,” Lerdo said. “This year, we raised $360,000. That is how things happen. It is the kind of commitment we get from our parents that makes my life easier. It is a huge chunk of money that they are willing to donate.”

The school also applies for grants from different foundations and, according to its website, receives funding from private and public entities as well.

For more information, visit www.northwoodscatholic.com.

Lauren Hodges can be reached at lhodges@hcnonline.com.