Anchorage families gathered on September 9 for the ribbon‑cutting ceremony of Holy Rosary Academy’s new campus on East 64th Avenue. The event celebrated nearly forty years of Catholic, classical education rooted in faith, reason, and virtue.
New Facility, Same Mission
The state‑of‑the‑art, two‑story building—formerly the Rilke Schule—offers spacious hallways, modern classrooms, a new lunchroom, and an upstairs chapel recently renovated by Hickel Construction and Engineering. While the facilities are designed for 21st‑century learning, the academy’s core mission remains unchanged: to form the whole person—mind, heart, and soul—through the Trivium of grammar, logic, and rhetoric, alongside daily prayer and moral formation.
Community Leaders and Faith Leaders Praise the Expansion
Principal Mary Louise Schirda and School Board President Jim Dixon opened the ceremony, followed by remarks from U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan. Sullivan, a lifelong Catholic‑school alumnus and father of three daughters who attended Catholic schools, underscored the importance of institutions that partner with parents to nurture academic excellence, character, and faith.
Representatives from the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce and both the current and former mayor’s offices were also present, signaling broad civic recognition of the academy’s contribution to Anchorage’s educational landscape.
Four Decades of Family‑Driven Growth
The academy’s story began in 1987 when Vernon Hickel opened the lower level of his Westwood Drive home to a small group of Catholic parents seeking rigorous, faith‑grounded instruction. What started as a homeschool co‑op called Our Lady of the Rosary quickly grew to 50 students after the Hickel family renovated a Lakeshore Drive property donated by Bob Betz.
Over the years, the Hickel family continued to expand and improve the campus, most recently renovating the new lunchroom and chapel. Multiple Hickel descendants have served on the school board, and generations of their children and grandchildren have attended, illustrating a multi‑generational commitment to Catholic education.
Serving a Diverse Student Body
Today, Holy Rosary welcomes students from a variety of backgrounds who are drawn to its classical curriculum, Latin and Greek studies, and emphasis on truth, beauty, and goodness. The school positions itself not as an elite prep school but as a community that assists parents—the primary educators of their children—in providing a robust, values‑centered education.
Looking Ahead
The new campus stands as a tangible testament to what faith, family, and steady hard work can achieve. As families, alumni, and civic leaders celebrated the opening, they also reaffirmed the academy’s role in shaping Anchorage’s next generation of thoughtful, virtuous citizens.
With the doors now open, Holy Rosary Academy looks forward to continuing its mission of forming young people who can answer God’s call, while contributing positively to the broader Anchorage community.
Original reporting: Must Read Alaska (Anchorage) — read the source article.
