Welcome

God is light.  In Him, there is no darkness at all!  1John 1:5

If you want to know what that means, just walk the halls of St. Rose of Lima School.  Our children are God's light as we live our mission:

St. Rose of Lima Catholic School is committed to preparing responsible and compassionate citizens by nurturing thier relationshp with Jesus, promoting academic excellence, and developing leadership through service.  

We nurture their relatioship with Jesus by offering opportunities for prayer and reflection, Scripture and Mass, Adoration, Stations, and other seasonal times of retreat and worship.  Students experience the joy of Jesus in their hearts.  Our students learn that joy comes from seeking Jesus first, then thing of others before themselves.

Our teachers promote academic excellence through utitlizing best practices within small class sizes.  We offer individual attention to help each of our students realize thier God-given gifts and to become the best that they can be.  We KNOW our students, and that is really  helps us best meet their needs,.

Some rough data for you...for the past ten years 4-5 students of the graduating class of Hastings High School attended St. Rose through sixth grade.  Out of the HHS top ten, on or two of those top ten students are our graduates!  That's an impressive percentage.  We are very proud of our academic standouts.  But that's not all we are proud of at the high school level.  We send kids with confidence!  We send that lead the cheers in the lunchroom or look out for the kids sitting alone in class.  We send the leads of the school musical and the drum majors, the football players, the cross country runners, the Eagle Scouts.  Our kids go on to be involved in their schools and communities.

The is the third part of our mission is that we develop leadership through service. Our students are involved in a number of service projects throughout the school year. But more than that, they are taught to serve God and each other daily.  They learn that true leaders are servants, and that is how you make a difference in the world. One of my favorite quotes is from St. Catherine of Sienna...in a nutshell... be who God made you to be and you will set the world on fire. Our kids are, and are going to, set the world on fire with their compassion, citizenship, leadership, and love.

From the Principal... Mrs. Diane Bennett

The 2024-25 school year marks my thirty-fifth  year at St. Rose School.  I still remember the first time I stepped into our building and looked through the classrooms with Steve Youngs.  I just knew I'd found my place!  It continues to be a blessing to a be a part of this family.  

I grew up in Battle Creek and attended St. Jerome and St. Joseph elementary schools through eighth grade.  I graduated from Michigan State University in 1989 and began at St. Rose in 1990.  I have taught first, second, and third grades.  Currently I am teaching the first and second grade classroom.

My husband Kevin and I have three children.  They are all alumni of St. Rose School.  Our oldest Micala lives in Hastings with her husband, Ethan, and their children Zinnia and Julian, who are just the joy of my heart!  Our son Ethan and his wife Madi live in Hastings, and he works with Kevin for the family business, Bennett Solutions, as well as owning his own company, ATS Renovations.  Our youngest, Brenna, is a recent graduate of Michigan State University and works in public policy.

God has called me to serve St. Rose School, and I am excited to answer that call.  I am excited to help our St. Rose kids be the Light of God and to be able to see His light everywhere!

 In God's Light,

 Diane Bennett
 Principal