A Parish School on 35 Park-Like Acres in Kingsville
St. Stephen Parish and School occupy a 39-acre parcel of park-like land in northeast Baltimore County, just over the line from Harford County on Bradshaw Road. The parish was officially recognized as a place of worship in 1851, and the elementary school that grew up alongside it has been educating children on the same hilltop since 1931. Today, St. Stephen School welcomes about 330 students in Pre-K3 through 8th grade, drawing families from 30 different zip codes across Harford County, Baltimore County, Cecil County, and Baltimore City.
The school shares its grounds with the parish church, cemetery, parish center, and rectory. Together they form a small, self-contained Catholic campus where students walk between a two-story brick elementary building, a separate Pre-K building, a gymnasium and auditorium, and a newer middle school wing. About 85 years into its mission, St. Stephen remains a parish school in the most direct sense: the parish priest sits on the school board, sacramental preparation is coordinated with the parish Religious Education program, and the pastor's name appears alongside the principal's on virtually every leadership document.
From the Bradshaw Home of Miss Stephanie Raphel to a Modern Middle School
The seed of Catholic education on Bradshaw Road was planted in 1841 in the home of Miss Stephanie Raphel. By 1851 the St. Stephen parish was officially recognized, and the community soon needed more room. Parishioners purchased a two-story frame building that served as both church and school, with every grade sharing the lower floor. For a quarter-century this tightly knit congregation grew around a single building and a common faith life.
Growth pushed the parish up the hill. Parishioners hauled large rocks from the countryside for more than a year to prepare the current Bradshaw Road site. In 1931 the church was completed and the two-story frame building was moved to the top of the hill, where it became St. Stephen Elementary and High School. Under the direction of Rev. Vincent Fitzgerald, the building was renovated and the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia were engaged to teach. In September 1941, 170 students crossed the threshold for instruction.
A new building was added in 1953 to serve as the elementary school while the frame structure became the high school. By 1963 enrollment had reached 1,000 students. St. Stephen High School closed in 1964 with the opening of John Carroll Regional Catholic High School, and the original frame building was eventually demolished.
The campus has continued to grow in the 21st century. In 2014 the Pre-K building opened to serve the youngest students. A new middle school building for grades 6 through 8 was completed in 2019 and welcomed students on January 2, 2020; Archbishop Lori celebrated a Mass to mark the occasion. The middle school project was fully funded through the parish-and-school community at a cost of $1.5 million, with a leadership gift from the estate of Richard and Margaret Rutkowski in memory of their daughter Marlene, a 1964 graduate of St. Stephen.
What the Campus Looks Like Today
The elementary program is contained in one two-story brick building that holds ten homerooms and additional rooms for small-group instruction. A gymnasium and auditorium hosts physical education classes, Sunday Mass, and other parish and school events. Outside, the campus includes a large blacktop area, grassy playgrounds, a painted walking and jogging track, a wooded half-mile cross-country course, and a soccer field for ages 10 and under. The Pre-K building, opened in 2014, houses the Early Childhood Programs, while the 2019 middle school wing gives grades 6 through 8 their own dedicated space.
Pre-K 3 and Pre-K 4: A Half-Day and a Full-Day Start
St. Stephen's preschool program serves both three- and four-year-olds in a Catholic setting licensed as a Level 5 High Quality Early Childhood Program by Maryland EXCELS. The Pre-K 3 program is a half-day program with two scheduling options: Monday/Wednesday/Friday or Tuesday/Thursday. The Pre-K 4 program is a full day, five days a week, running from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Children entering Pre-K 3 must be three years old by September 1; children entering Pre-K 4 must be four. All children must be potty trained to enroll.
A typical Pre-K 3 day runs from 8 to 11:30 a.m. and moves through table activities, morning circle and everyday literacy, literacy centers and religion, BEAR Time and Share Time, math, and a snack and recess. Pre-K 4 follows the same morning sequence and adds a full afternoon of lunch, story time and rest, then rotating centers for library, writing, ABC and words, math, science and discovery, building and blocks, dramatic play, arts and crafts, music and movement, technology, and a sensory table.
Preschoolers are paired with sixth-grade prayer partners who share meaningful spiritual lessons with them and help build a sense of community across the school. The religion curriculum at this level follows the Archdiocese of Baltimore's Bringing Good News standards, built on the Six Tasks of Catechesis and aligned with the IFG:ACRE assessment. By the end of preschool, children can identify themselves and their families as belonging to God's family, dramatize Bible stories such as the Last Supper and the Good Samaritan, recognize the saints as part of the family of the Church in heaven, and demonstrate kindness through words and actions.
Kindergarten Through Fifth Grade
In kindergarten through fifth grade, classroom teachers handle the core homeroom instruction while specialists in art, music, library, technology, Spanish, and physical education round out the week. In language arts, students move from basic writing skills to full expression and from the ability to read to a love of reading; math instruction emphasizes number sense, basic math facts, manipulatives, and problem solving. Specialized activities include writing stories, poems, book reports, and essays, plus recitations, dramatizations, and dioramas.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore religion curriculum walks students through the faith in age-appropriate steps. By the end of first grade they understand faith as a gift from God and can identify the sacraments as signs of God's love. By the end of second grade they grasp the Holy Trinity, the Resurrection, and the Real Presence of the Risen Jesus in the Eucharist. By third grade they understand the Commandments, conscience, and Mary as an intercessor. By fourth grade they describe the Holy Spirit, define sin, recognize the Mysteries of the Rosary, and identify the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. By fifth grade they understand that Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man, identify all human life as sacred, and articulate the call to work for a more just society.
Middle School: Departmentalized and Preparing for High School
Middle school students in grades 6 through 8 learn in a departmentalized setting taught by teachers who specialize in particular subject areas. A cross-curricular team approach keeps instruction coordinated across subjects, and students gain practice in time management, note-taking, and self-confidence as they move between classrooms. The math pathway moves through general math, Pre-Algebra, Algebra, and Geometry, with an advanced Algebra option for eighth graders who are ready. Earth, life, and physical sciences are taught with software, models, and labs that emphasize the scientific method. The humanities sequence takes students from World History in sixth grade through United States History in seventh and eighth.
The middle school religion program studies the Old and New Testaments alongside personal and communal prayer, Church history, and social justice. Parish preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation begins in seventh grade and culminates with the celebration of the sacrament in the spring of the eighth-grade year. Recent graduating classes have received an average of 48 scholarships from local Catholic high schools, with the class of 2024 earning $218,750 in annual scholarship money and a cumulative total of $875,000 over four years.
The middle school also offers a rich program of special events, including science fairs, math contests, service projects, music ensembles, and sports teams. Most graduates attend area Catholic high schools such as John Carroll, Calvert Hall, Loyola Blakefield, Archbishop Curley, Notre Dame Prep, Mercy, and The Catholic High School, with a long list of specialized programs and honors tracks regularly accepting St. Stephen students.
Daily Faith: Prayer, Mass, and the Sacraments
Faith is woven into every school day at St. Stephen. Each day begins with prayer, and grace is said before meals. Crosses, statues, and religious images throughout the building keep Catholic identity visible. All-school Masses are celebrated once a month, often in the gymnasium and auditorium, and individual classes plan and participate in class Masses several times a year. The sacrament of Reconciliation is available for students during Lent.
Sacramental preparation for First Holy Communion, Reconciliation, and Confirmation is offered in collaboration with the parish Religious Education program. The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) is also available through the parish for those who wish to join the Catholic Church. Non-Catholic students participate in religious activities to the fullest extent possible, and every effort is made to be inclusive across all aspects of the religious life of the school.
Several annual faith traditions mark the school year. On a Sunday in mid-December, preschool and kindergarten students put on a nativity pageant, complete with costumes and carols. Each Good Friday, school and parish families are invited to a community Cross Walk that begins in the early afternoon at Franklinville Presbyterian Church on Franklinville Road and ends at St. Stephen, where the Stations of the Cross follow for those who wish to stay. In May, students celebrate the Crowning of the Blessed Mother with a procession and Mass.
Arts, Music, and Drama
All students in kindergarten through eighth grade attend art class once a week, beginning in September with the Original Works program that turns student art into a home keepsake fundraiser. The Art Club meets every other Wednesday from September through April, from 3 to 4:15 p.m., for students in grades 5 through 8, and Fine Arts Night each May opens the gallery at 5 p.m. before the Home and School Association meeting begins.
Music is taught from Pre-K 4 through eighth grade. Younger children learn through song, dance, movement, and classroom instruments. Third grade works on reading musical notes and playing the recorder. Fourth and fifth grades study composers, music theory, and composition, and take part in World Drumming and Bucket Drumming. Middle school music ties closely to the social studies units and produces performance projects throughout the year. Intermediate chorus (grades 3-5) and middle school chorus each rehearse once a week during recess and perform at Breakfast with Santa, the Christmas program, Fine Arts Night, and an Aberdeen IronBirds game. Tone chimes meet during recess once a week and play at the Christmas concert and select school Masses. Band is open to students in grades 4 through 8 with weekly lessons and after-school rehearsals, performing throughout the year and at the Christmas concert in mid-December.
The drama program, led by Mrs. Metallo, is an after-school activity for grades 6 through 8 that meets on Tuesdays from 3 to 5 p.m. starting in October and on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. after December. Rehearsals culminate in a spring musical or play with both an in-school matinee and weekend performances for families and the wider school and parish community. Beyond acting, students run the show as stage manager, curtain operator, sound, lights, and set crew, building confidence in public speaking and teamwork along the way.
Athletics: Cross Country, Basketball, Soccer, and Volleyball
St. Stephen competes in a number of sports through the year. Cross Country is open to boys and girls in grades 3 through 5, with meets against local Baltimore County schools and two middle school meets hosted at area high schools. Girls' basketball fields two teams for grades 5 through 8, with tryouts in October, and boys' basketball fields two teams for grades 6 through 8. Girls' volleyball is open to grades 6 through 8; a $40 fee is charged once a player makes the team, and games and practices are held after school. Soccer runs CYO clinic and league programs for boys and girls ages 4 through 15, with a Pre-K and Kindergarten option and Grades 1 through 8 league play that includes uniforms and fees.
Christina Polsinelli serves as the contact for cross country, basketball, and soccer. The athletics program also feeds into a wide slate of clubs and activities that includes altar servers for grades 5 through 8, Student Council, Prayer Partners, the Catholic Club for grades 3 through 5, the Crowning of Mary in May, Field Day, essay and poster contests, field trips, community worker visitations, the 100th Day Celebration, the Archdiocesan Spelling Bee, the Knights of Columbus Catholic Bee, archery within the P.E. curriculum, retreats, poetry, an anthology, 8th-grade Safety Patrols, the National Junior Honor Society, the Geography Bee, and the Egg Drop Competition.
Service Outreach Across the Parish and Wider Community
Service is built into the life of the school. Recent annual outreach efforts have included an Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive that collects frozen turkeys and nonperishable items for a Dundalk-area food pantry, an Advent collection of hams, casseroles, and gift cards to feed more than 100 families at Christmas, a Catholic Schools Week toiletry drive that packed more than 90 care packages for Family Crisis Centers and shelters in Baltimore and Harford Counties, and a Dr. Seuss-themed cereal drive that delivered 350 boxes to a Dundalk food pantry.
Other recurring service programs include monetary donations for St. Stephen in Kenya, an Adopt-a-Family initiative during Advent, Birthright Center donations at Christmas, Operation Rice Bowl for Catholic Relief Services during Lent, the Holy Childhood Association, and additional student-led community outreach through Student Council. The school's Catholic Schools Week service project has assembled 700 to 800 lunch bags for distribution to individuals served by St. Vincent de Paul through Catholic Charities.
Social Events and School Traditions
The school calendar is anchored by long-running social traditions. Middle school students enjoy four dances each year, including a Back to School Dance, a Winter Dance, and an End of the Year Dance, all run by parent volunteers with a small cover charge. The Fathers' Club hosts a Father-Daughter Dance, a Family Bowling outing, and a Back to School BBQ during the first week of school. The Girl Scouts sponsor a Trunk-Or-Treat in the school parking lot each October.
The annual Eighth Grade Car Parade on the last day of school is a particular favorite, as graduating eighth graders and their families parade decorated in their future high school colors around the school parking lot while classmates cheer. The Eighth Grade Farewell Breakfast is hosted each spring by the seventh-grade class, who choose a special theme and serve the graduates, middle school faculty, and administrators. Field Day in May features games, crafts, athletic events, and a tug of war showdown for grades 5 through 8. National Catholic Schools Week, observed the last week of January, includes a Current Parent Open House and a special closing Mass. Every November, Grandparents' Day brings grandparents into the classroom for a continental breakfast and a band and chorus performance.
After School Care, Clubs, and Summer Camps
After School Care is available Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. for students in Pre-K through 8 for an additional fee. The program includes planned active playtime, games and crafts, supervised homework time, and free play. There is no aftercare on scheduled half days, the last day of school, or on days when school is closed for weather or emergencies. Daily fees range from $18 for one child to $38 for three or more children, with drop-in rates available. The program is licensed under #151825.
After-school clubs meet once a week from 3 to 4 p.m. on designated days and are open to currently enrolled St. Stephen students. Recent offerings include Lego Club on Mondays for Pre-K through 8, Art Club on Wednesdays for grades 5 through 8, Paper Crafting Club on Wednesdays for grades K through 3, Board Games Club on Tuesdays for grades 4 through 6, Cooking Club on Thursdays for grades 3 through 8, Animal Adventure Club on Thursdays for grades 2 through 5, and Imagination Theater Club on Thursdays for grades 1 through 5.
Summer is its own season of programming. St. Stephen Summer Camps run in late June and July for current and incoming students, with ELA and Math Bootcamps by grade band, Preschool Play Camp, Art Camp, Volleyball Camp, Cheer Camp, Teddy Bear Camp, Scrapbooking Camp, American Girl Dolls Camp, and Lego Camp. Most run from 9 a.m. to noon with a small materials fee added to the base tuition.
Admissions, Tuition, and Financial Aid
St. Stephen accepts applications year-round, with formal admissions opening on August 1 each year for the following school year. The first round of admissions closes in early December, with decisions released in mid-January and a second round of decisions following in early February. Applications for the 27/28 school year are currently being accepted. The admissions process requires an online application, a $100 application fee, a birth certificate, a baptismal certificate if applicable, and current report cards and standardized test scores for students entering grades 1 through 8. Students entering grades 2 through 8 sit for a placement test in reading and math, and new kindergarten students take the Brigance School Readiness Assessment.
St. Stephen admits students in the following order of priority: siblings of currently enrolled students; children of officially registered parishioners of St. Stephen Parish, with consideration for length of time registered; Catholic children registered at another parish; and children of another faith background. New students are on a one-year probationary period.
Tuition for the 26/27 school year is set at $8,650 for Pre-K 4 through grade 8, with multi-student discounts that bring a two-child family to $16,550, three children to $24,750, and four or more children to $26,000. Pre-K 3 half-day options are priced at $2,500 for two days a week or $3,750 for three days a week. A non-refundable $115 registration fee per student applies at enrollment, with additional textbook, technology, and graduation fees assessed during the year. Grant and Aid is available for K-8 students through the FACTS system, with grant applications due in late February.
Leadership, Faculty, and Governance
The administrative team is led by Pastor Father Mike Triplett, Principal Marianne Kozlowski, and Assistant Principal Deborah Liberto. Father Jude McPeak serves as Associate Pastor. Mary McKernan is the Advancement and Admissions Director, Robert Melewski is the Business Manager, and Shannon Anoia is the Administrative Manager. Christina Polsinelli coordinates athletics as the P.E. teacher, and Sharon Tenaro serves as Aftercare Director in addition to her work as a 5th-grade instructional assistant.
The school is staffed by a faculty and support team with more than 350 combined years of teaching experience. Judy Winsor teaches Pre-K 3, Andrea Frazier and Melenie Woods teach Pre-K 4, Deborah Mirabile teaches Kindergarten, and Jennifer Olkowski, Rebecca Hollifield, Sara Morales, Kristy Allen, and Nicole Campbell lead grades 1 through 5. Middle school subject specialists such as Nicholas Dixon in Social Studies, Melissa Field in Science, Sam Polack and Julie McMahon in Math, Kerry Rand in 8th Grade and Religion, and Natalie Grabowski, Linda Boschert, Laura Brockmeyer, and Kristen Tirocchi in English Language Arts anchor the upper grades, while Teda Behr coordinates Religious Education for Pre-K through third grade. Specialized instruction in art, music, band, technology and STEM, and physical education rounds out the school day, with reading intervention support from Laura Zavodny.
The school board, chaired by Drew Bonthron with members including Craig Bryant, Jen Cummings, Janet Wenger, Deb Henry, Amy Przywara, Patty O'Brien, Tim Snyder, Janice Duff, and Jacek Grabowski, operates under a Strategic Plan organized around Curriculum and Enrichment, Facilities, Support Programs, and Marketing. St. Stephen School is accredited as part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore school system through Cognia, and the school was certified as a Maryland Green School by the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education in April 2019. The Archdiocese of Baltimore's Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) program is implemented school-wide; St. Stephen's Eagles follow S.O.A.R. - Safety first, Offer service, Act responsibly, Respect others - and the school earned the Silver Award from the Maryland State Department of Education for the 2017-2018 school year.
The Fund for St. Stephen and Volunteer Life
Like most Catholic schools, tuition alone does not cover the cost of educating St. Stephen students. The Fund for St. Stephen School supports educational programs, facilities, and the effort to keep tuition affordable. The annual campaign goal is set in the six-figure range, with giving levels running from Friends of St. Stephen ($1-$99) up through the St. Stephen Society ($1,000 or more). Planned giving opportunities are available through the Circle of St. Stephen School legacy program for alumni and friends interested in bequests, charitable trusts, and beneficiary designations.
Parents are required to complete VIRTUS training and screening before volunteering in any capacity. Each full-time Pre-K 4 through grade 8 family is required to log twenty service hours during the school year, while Pre-K 3 families log ten. Hours are tracked through the Track it Forward online platform, and any unworked hours are billed at $20 per hour. Service credit may be applied to approved donations of roughly $20 in value. The Home and School Association coordinates the program and runs major fundraisers including a Golf Tournament, Book Fair, Wine Tasting, Christmas Bazaar, Breakfast with Santa, Basket Bingo, the 250 Club, restaurant outings at Looney's and Chick-Fil-A, and the school Carnival. Routine fundraisers also include the Giant A+ Bonus Bucks program, Safeway eScrip, Box Tops for Education, My Coke Rewards, the School Shoes rebate, Amazon Smile, and the United Way of Central Maryland giving campaign.
What emerges, more than eighty-five years after the first 170 students crossed the threshold of the building hauled up Bradshaw Road, is a school that still sees itself, in the words of former principal Sister Mary Manuelita, OSF, as a 'little church' where God will always reside. From Pre-K 3 through the celebration of Confirmation in eighth grade, St. Stephen continues to educate the whole child spiritually, academically, physically, socially, and emotionally in an environment shaped by parish, family, and the rhythms of the Catholic liturgical year.