CHICAGO (June 4, 2004) - A new educational model-a Catholic evangelization center/school- is being planned for Waukegan/North Chicago in response to the changing needs of the community, according to Nicholas Wolsonovich, Ph.D., superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of Chicago.

As part of the plan, a new $13.5 million building will be constructed on 4.8 acres at the intersection of Belvidere Road and Keller Avenue in west Waukegan. The new building will serve as both a pre-kindergarten through eighth grade Catholic school and a center for parish evangelization activities such as religious education, youth ministry, adult education and social services.

Pastors of three area parishes have signed an inter-parish agreement establishing the new evangelization center/school and confirming a commitment to the new model for providing educational services. Both the Most Rev. Jerome Listecki, auxiliary bishop for the region, and Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago, have approved the agreement.

The pastors who signed the agreement are: Rev. Gary Graf, pastor of Holy Family, Waukegan, and Rev. James Merold, pastor of Queen of Peace, North Chicago, whose parishes currently support Lake Shore Catholic Academy, with campuses in Waukegan and North Chicago; and Rev. Francis Plotka, pastor of Immaculate Conception, Waukegan, whose parish currently operates a school.

Input and participation is being sought from parents, parish councils, faculties, local school board councils and parishioners, who will collaborate in an extensive planning process for this new comprehensive evangelization center and school.

"We believe this new system will provide a great opportunity to ensure Catholic faith-based education along with quality academic programs for l all the children and their families in the Waukegan/North Chicago community," said Bishop Listecki.

The new plan is scheduled to roll out in four phases:

•  Immaculate Conception School and Lake Shore Catholic Academy will continue to operate without change during the 2004-05 academic year.

•  Planning and fundraising for the new evangelization center/school building will continue.

•  In August, 2005, Lake Shore Catholic Academy and Immaculate Conception School will cease operating as separate Catholic elementary schools and will become part of a single institution supported by three Waukegan/North Chicago parishes: Holy Family, Queen of Peace and Immaculate Conception. At that time, the new center/school will be named and operate under one governance system, administration, budget and curriculum and program.

•  In August, 2007, the center/school will move into the new building planned to open in west Waukegan. Although the new building will be located adjacent to Holy Family parish, it will be operated as a multi-parish center/school.

During the planning process, implementation committees will be established to deal with such issues as a name for the new center/school; development of a governance structure center/school ; and the appointment of a school administrative team and creation of a new curriculum.

The pastors from each of the three parishes and lay leaders from the parish communities and beyond will be part of the governance structure for the new center/school. Funds to support the operation of the center/school will be solicited from foundations, corporations and individuals. In addition, the Archdiocese and the Big Shoulders Fund will offer some assistance, according to Wolsonovich.

"We are excited about the many ways we can serve our Catholic people through this new center and school," Wolsonovich said. "We hope to enable more families to benefit from giving their children a Catholic school education, an education that provides a solid academic and values-based foundation for the future of our students. At the same time, the center will help enhance the faith-life and the quality of life for all our people-young and old alike."

"We hope this new revitalized model of education with its new building will attract a new generation of Catholic families moving into the area," Wolsonovich said.

A group of lay Catholic leaders was formed as the Waukegan/North Chicago Schools Committee in 2003 and has worked with the Office of Catholic Schools to assess the educational needs of the area.

After extensive research and analysis, this committee concluded that the most viable option would be to combine the best practices and assets of the existing schools together to create a multi-parish model to:

•  offer academic programs that previously were unavailable to all students at both of the schools;

•  create a multi-cultural program that includes attention to language;

•  bring the three parishes together to share a common educational experience;

•  help control tuition levels through shared resources;

•  enable the school to grow to meet future needs; and

•  offer education and social services for families.

Archdiocese of Chicago Schools