Holy Trinity School has a rich history which began in the mid 1800's when the land in and around Paola

was inhabited by the Peoria Indian Tribe. The land on which the Church and School are built was

deeded to the missionary priests by Chief Baptiste Peoria, the leader of the Peoria Tribe.

School was first held in the basement of the church from 1892-1893. Simon Kennedy was the teacher.

Mother Jerome and her companions arrived in Paola in 1896 and established the Ursuline Motherhouse.

The sisters tried to meet the educational needs of the children in the Academy, but it was never intended

to be a permanent arrangement.

Fr. Taton was our parish priest from 1895 to 1903. He was born in Illinois and raised in Johnson County,

Kansas. Fr. Taton was a priest of "pleasing personality, with great courage and quiet determination".

The Right Rev. Bishop L. M. Fink, O.S.B., urged Fr. Taton to build a school for the children of the

parish. The decision to build a school was not taken lightly because parishioners were not unanimously

in favor of a school. They had many reasons: The Church needed repairs, they wanted to pay off their

homes first, children lived too far away from Paola, the public school was good enough, and they could

see no reason why the priest should not continue coming to each home to instruct the children.

In 1900, Fr. Taton decided to proceed with the school and initiated a development campaign and had

various fund raisers in the form of "entertainments". He was able to collect $1326 and in 1902 added

$932 towards the school fund. Construction began in the Spring of 1901 and the total cost was

$3,255.38. The original school, named St. Patrick's, was opened in 1902, and stood in the area of the

present-day parking lot between the church and the school.

Our current building was constructed in 1959 at a cost of $175,000. It replaced the deteriorating former

St. Patrick's and was renamed Holy Trinity School.

In 2000, we were excited to complete the east addition, which added four new classrooms. Renovations

on the original building also occurred, as we now have modern ceilings and lights. Air conditioning was

installed in the commons area and kitchen in 2005 – which allowed for the entire building to be climate

controlled. During the summer of 2006, we replaced the windows and entrances in the 1959 portion of

the building.

The building of a new parish center to the west of the school building was completed in the summer of

2020. The hall is a great asset and is used for physical education and music.

In 2002, our community celebrated the centennial of the presence of a Catholic grade school in the Paola

community. Throughout all these years, the parishioners have supported the school because they

believed in the importance of instilling the Christian Faith in the children of the Parish while giving

them a first-rate education in the 3 R's. Each generation in turn is thankful to those who went before

them and gave so generously of their talent and treasure to make sure the school prospered.

Many have graduated to become responsible citizens and leaders in the community. The parishioners

had the vision over 100 years ago to realize that a Catholic education would ground our young people in

the Christian Faith, give them a compass to guide them on life's journey and provide a harbor of refuge

when life's inevitable storms arose.

Today we continue the proud tradition of the Catholic faithful who answered the call to instill the "Great

Commandment" in their children as required of our forefathers in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, "Hear, O Israel!

The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,

and with all your soul, and with all your strength." Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you

today. Drill them into your children. Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest.

Bind them at your wrist as a sign and let them be as a pendant on your forehead. Write them on the

doorposts of your houses and on your gates.”