81st Annual OLPH Fall Festival draws hundreds

Oct. 11, 2017 Ellicott City, MD – Though the 84 degree weather made it feel more like Summer Fest, OLPH School’s Fall Festival on October 7 in Ellicott City offered a variety of ways for families with children of all ages to enjoy this autumn tradition that has been around since FDR was president, and gas was 10 cents a gallon. The event featured carnival games, three different inflatable bounce houses, face painting, pony rides, a turkey dinner with all the trimmings served to more than 750 hungry guests, free beer, shopping, and a maker activity. The evening culminated with a fifteen minute fireworks show that rivaled July 4 celebrations.

The event was sponsored by Antwerpen Toyota in Clarksville. Their generous support was a key factor in the Fall Fest Committee’s decision to add a fireworks show. This family friendly event provides an opportunity for community outreach and fellowship, and is also an important source of funding to support OLPH School. Principal, Mr. Victor Pellechia expressed his gratitude by saying, “I want to thank the whole committee; their hard work and dedication played a significant role in the success of our event. Fall Fest has many moving parts; and everyone on the team played an important role for the whole process to come together so well. The 81st Fall Fest is going to be one to remember. I would like to also express my appreciation Zambelli for the awesome fireworks display; this is something I think our students will not soon forget. Thanks to the tireless efforts of our team in the kitchen, they served over 750 turkey dinners without a hitch.” Food left over from the dinner was donated to the OLPH Parish SALT Ministry, which feeds hundreds Baltimoreans in need.

“Fall Fest was an opportune time to incorporate ‘maker activities’ and share with the community our initiative to build a makerspace.” stated Development Director, Jodi Phelan, adding, “this is a dynamic trend in education that supplements STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs. Most recently religion and art are included, resulting in the new acronym, STREAM.” The OLPH makerspace will be built in summer of 2018.

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Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH) Catholic School is a 2016 Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. This Archdiocese of Baltimore school in Ellicott City was founded in 1879 and serves 240 students from preschool through grade 8. For more information, please contact Mr. Victor Pellechia at vpellechia@olphschool.org or 410-744-4251. Additional information at www.olphschool.org