CHICAGO (March 22, 2004) – Officials of the Archdiocese of Chicago have accepted the recommendations of six southeast suburban Catholic elementary schools that a single new multi-parish- sponsored school be established. The new school, scheduled to open in August, will operate two sites – an east campus and a west campus – to help meet the changing needs for Catholic education in the area, according to Dr. Nicholas Wolsonovich, superintendent of schools.

The move means that the six parish-sponsored schools – St. Andrew the Apostle, Our Lady of Knock and St. Victor, all located in Calumet City, Ill.; Holy Ghost and St. Jude the Apostle, both located in South Holland, Ill.; and Queen of Apostles in Riverdale, Ill. – will cease operating as separate Catholic elementary schools at the end of the current academic year and will become part of a new institution supported by the six parishes. The new school will be named in the near future, Wolsonovich said.

The east campus will be located on the current site of St. Andrew the Apostle, 331-155th Pl., Calumet City. The west campus will be located on the current site of St. Jude the Apostle, 900 E. 154th St., South Holland. These two sites were chosen because of their ability to accommodate a large number of students as well as contain the appropriate number of classrooms, office space and parking spaces;
include a gymnasium; and provide a central location to parishes to the east and west of the general geographic area. Each site will offer preschool through eighth-grade classes.

“This truly is a new and exciting opportunity to experience the benefits of a Catholic education for the children and families we serve in this region of the Archdiocese of Chicago,” said Wolsonovich. “We applaud the exceptionally strong commitment by these six parish schools to continue to make Catholic education available to all southeast suburban parents who wish to provide their children with a solid academic and values-based foundation for their future.”

Schools respond to enrollment trends with plan to combine resources, enhance programs
School and parish leaders cited declining enrollment in the southeast suburbs in recent years as the key reason for their decision to form a partnership to explore options for the future of Catholic education in the area. The enrollment declines were precipitated largely by changes in the demographic composition of the communities served by the schools and by economic challenges faced by families amidst the need for increased tuition to meet rising operating costs.

After extensive consultation and dialogue among the six schools and with archdiocesan officials, leaders of the schools recommended to Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago, that the new model of Catholic education for the southeast suburbs be created.

“We believe this new partnership will give us the greatest opportunity to ensure Catholic education based on Gospel values along with a quality academic program for the children and families in our area,” said Father Thomas Cima, pastor of St. Victor parish and the dean of the geographic area of the Archdiocese in which the six schools are located. “Early in the process of exploring our options for the future, we determined that unless our six schools took action together to strengthen Catholic education in our area, all would inevitably face closure.”

The group concluded that the best option would be to work together to create the multi-parish model to:

• combine resources to offer academic programs that previously were unavailable to all students at each of the schools;
  
• strengthen current educational programs;
  
• improve services, including offering foreign language and art classes, and hiring a counselor and a reading specialist;
  
• diminish competition for students among the schools; and
  
• help manage tuition as operating costs continue to rise.

The new school will provide a strong academic program in a faith-based environment, Wolsonovich said. In addition to core classes, music, art, physical education, computer education and Spanish classes will be offered. The academic program at each site will be held to the same high standards of excellence that the schools have required previously on an individual basis.
A place for every child

“There will be a place at the new school for every child currently enrolled in each of the six schools,” said Father Cima. “We will work closely with faculty and staff as we approach the new school year to ensure a smooth transition for all students and their families.”

Each of the six parishes will be part of the new school’s governance structure. The pastors of each parish will form an executive committee and one pastor will serve as the executive pastor. The executive committee will hire the school administrative team, which will consist of an executive director for the school and a principal for each of the two campuses. The school administrative team will form a new faculty and staff by selecting candidates from among the current faculties and staff members of the six schools.

A school advisory council, which will include the executive pastor, the school administrative team and two representatives from each parish, will be appointed by the executive committee.

Archdiocese of Chicago Schools
The Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Chicago play a critical role in the life of the community by providing academic excellence and faith formation for approximately 111,000 students of many races, faiths and backgrounds in the 283 elementary and secondary schools in Cook and Lake counties. There are more than 5,800 teachers in the Catholic school system who instill values, teach discipline and achieve strong, consistent academic results in the Archdiocese of Chicago's 242 elementary and 41 secondary schools. Visit the Archdiocese of Chicago Web site at www.archchicago.org/schools.