​St. Valentine Elementary School, which is at 5610 Heatherleigh Boulevard, opened in September 2001 and was blessed in October 2002. It has approximately 500 students. The school lives out its motto, “Learning, Loving, Praying,” in a variety of ways. Both the parish and the school help students grow spiritually. The parish priests visit regularly for Mass and other celebrations and students only have to walk a few blocks to get to the parish for major events. Students have a dedicated prayer room, blessed by Monsignor D’Souza, for virtue celebrations and praying of the Rosary. Students can spend time in quiet reflection in the outdoor serenity garden. Students participate in parish outreach projects such as raising funds for ShareLife and adopting families in need at Christmas time. They also contribute to the community through activities such as clothing drives for Vita Manor, food drives, and visits to the local senior’s home. The school is named after St. Valentine, a holy priest in Rome, who assisted the Christians under persecution by Claudius II. St. Valentine refused to renounce his faith. Pope Julius I had a church built in the saint’s memory near Ponte Mole. St. Valentine was a humble gentleman, a priest, and a physician. He has been known as the patron saint of young people in general, and of love. St. Valentine’s feast day is February 14th.