St. John Baptist De La Salle School was established in 1953 to serve the L.A. Archdiocese located in the Granada Hills area of the Northern San Fernando Valley. De La Salle opened its doors in 1955. The pastor, Monsignor Peter O’ Sullivan, requested the Sisters of St. Joseph of Corondelet to come and administer the school. Temporary bungalows housed the students until the school construction was completed in 1956. The new building consisted of eight permanent classrooms, administrative offices, and a Health Room. By 1989, eight additional classrooms, a faculty room and a library were added. These additions opened areas for a counseling office and an equipment room.
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Corondelet left De La Salle School in 1974 and were replaced by the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1985, the first lay person assumed the position of principal. This change reflected the trend to lay administrators throughout the Archdiocese. The Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary remained in the school until 1993. Since the 1993-1994 school year, the school has been staffed by dedicated lay teachers and administrators.
The 1994 Northridge Earthquake devastated the community including the De La Salle Parish and School. A major loss was Martinez Hall which was used by the school for Bingo, the Computer Lab, and as the school auditorium. Seton Hall, which housed the Extended Care Program, and the Convent were also destroyed. The school; however, sustained minimal damage which was quickly repaired and classes resumed after two weeks. Four large classroom modulars were moved onto the campus to ease the earthquake situation. Today, the modulars are used for Kindergarten and Extended Care. The Charter Kindergarten opened in 1995. A separate playground adjacent to the modulars was constructed to accommodate the Kindergarten students and a new playground was installed during summer 2004. Additional basketball courts, volleyball courts, foursquare, and hopscotch areas complete the playground. The St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Complex was dedicated in 1998. The school uses the complex for meetings, events for the parents’ organizations, Science Fairs, Awards Assemblies, 8th Grade Graduation Dance, and many other events.
De La Salle Parish and School invested in computers recently to improve the school and parish communications. The school made a commitment to upgrade its technology development in order to take advantage of both educational and professional guidelines. In 2005, the school was wired for Internet use and the administration and teachers make good use of this tool. The school hired a consultant to establish a website
www.dlsschool.com in June 2006 which has greatly enhanced our communications with the students and parents. Recently, the website was revamped and can be found at the web address:
www.sjbdls.org. In 2007-2008 the school hired Ntiva, an IT company, which has updated all of our computers, technology equipment, networked the school and helped to develop a multi-year technology plan.
In 2005 the 1st Annual Golf Tournament kicked off our Capital Champaign for the new Kindergarten Building. It will be a permanent building to house our Kindergarten classes and the Extended Care Program. The school and parish are working closely to fund this project. Gradually, and with gratitude to our fundraisers, the school is moving forward. Recently a Building Fund was established at the Archdiocese which is one of the first steps in the building process.
De La Salle School is committed to Catholic Education which instills the students with the knowledge of the Catholic faith and Christian values. At the same time, the faculty and staff strive to present a strong academic curriculum, an appreciation for the arts, an awareness of healthful living and a dedication to a life of service.
St John Baptist de la Salle School celebrated its Golden Jubilee during the 2005-2006 school year. The school is blessed with a pastor, parish staff, and parishioners who are dedicated to the students and their families. May God continue to bless De La Salle School.
PRINCIPALS OF DE LA SALLE SCHOOLSister Marie Martin McCullough 1955-1961
Sister Pancratius 1961-1967
Sister Phillip 1967-1968
Sister Mary Adele 1968-1970
Sister Margaret Jones 1970-1973
Sister Ann Faber 1973-1974
Sister Mary Beatrice Joyce 1974-1979
Sister Roberta White 1979-1985
Mrs. Patty Baldwin 1985-1990
Ms. Mary McCarthy 1990-1992
Dr. Vicki Quan Lee 1992-2002
Mrs. Patricia Melch 2002-2009
Mr. Patrick Hayes 2009-2011
Mrs. Patricia Melch 2011-2012
Miss Monica Castaneda 2012-2017
Mrs. Larissa McKenna 2017-2018
Mrs. Patricia Melch 2017-2018
Mrs. Priscilla Doorbar 2018-2019
Mrs. Patricia Melch 2019-2021
Mrs. Claudia Monaco 2021-present