August 8, 2008

Catholic schools building on success for new year

Andy Telli, Tennessee Register

Students in the Diocese of Nashville are headed back to class for the 2008-09 school year as several of the 19 elementary schools and three high schools can boast of a boost in enrollment and expanded facilities and programs.

Among the schools where enrollment is increasing are St. Henry School, St. Rose of Lima School, St. Joseph School, St. John Vianney School, Overbrook School, Good Shepherd School and Father Ryan High School.

There are many reasons families are attracted to Catholic schools, said Therese Williams, superintendent of diocesan schools. Catholic schools provide academic excellence, spiritual growth, fine arts and athletics, Williams said. “We teach the whole child.”

In some schools, the enrollment growth is being fed by the general population growth in the surrounding community, while for others it’s the addition of a new program, Williams said.

Marketing efforts by the individual schools are making some people aware of Catholic education for the first time, she added, “and people are staying with us.”

At Father Ryan High School, officials had budgeted for an enrollment of 844 students, but will actually enroll 870 for the 2008-09 school year, said President Jim McIntyre.

“Part of that is our retention is really, really high this year,” McIntyre said. “Students are having a good experience here with the faculty … and with the Catholic identity of the school.”

Father Ryan also will have a big jump in the size of the freshman class from 216 last year to 240 this year, McIntyre said. On that number 191 are coming from Catholic elementary schools, and 49 from non-Catholic schools, “which is an increase for us as well,” McIntyre said.

Most of the incoming freshmen from non-Catholic feeder schools are from Williamson County, McIntyre noted. Even though there is no Catholic elementary school in Williamson County, he said, “we’re getting some penetration there in terms of being able to tell our story.”

That story is being spread in part through word of mouth and through the successes of Father Ryan’s students, McIntyre said.

“They see those kids not only being successful in college and careers, but they’re also seeing them at Mass,” McIntyre said.

“Kids are known and loved at the school. … They’re really cared for here,” McIntyre said. “Families sense that in their interactions with faculty and administrators.”

As Father Ryan competes with other private schools, McIntyre said, families are recognizing the value of the academics, spiritual component and extracurricular activities the school offers for the price it charges.

Tuition at Father Ryan for a Catholic family with one student receiving a parish subsidy is $8,735 a year. “When you think of where our tuition is relative to other private schools, that’s an attractive” option, McIntyre said.

Expanded facilities

At St. Rose of Lima School in Murfreesboro both the enrollment and the facilities are growing.

Construction of 11 new classrooms and the renovation of some of the existing rooms is expected to be complete by the end of September or early October, said Patricia Vance, development director for the parish.

The project will give the school enough space to have two classrooms per grade. A second classroom will be added for the seventh grade this year and the eighth grade next year, which will complete the expansion, Vance said.

Enrollment this year is up to 310 students, she added.

The expansion also includes new space for the school’s pre-school program, a new science lab, meeting space for parish ministries, storage space and the installation of air conditioning in the school gymnasium.

The new classrooms under construction will also be used by the parish’s religious education program.

“One of the big things people are looking forward to is having air conditioning in our hot gym,” Vance said. The addition of air conditioning will make the space usable throughout the year for wedding receptions and other large gatherings, she added.

Much of the growth at St. Rose stems from the growth of the general population in Murfreesboro and Rutherford County, Vance said.

“This last year in about a six month period, we had 80 new families register with our church,” she said.

St. Henry School has also expanded its facilities for the new school year with the construction of a new library. The project also includes the conversion of the old library into three new kindergarten classrooms, a new reception area, renovated Spanish, computer, band and music rooms, and space for the school’s new pre-school program.

The addition of more than 40 students in the pre-school program will push St. Henry’s enrollment to more than 700 students.

Pre-school programs at elementary schools in the diocese “help enrollment and help families get in our system quicker, become happier with what we have, and stay in our system,” Williams said.

Families can also save money by putting their children in a pre-school program that often is less expensive than daycare, she said.

Raising awareness

Better marketing efforts are boosting community awareness of St. Joseph and St. John Vianney schools, which has led to a bump in enrollment at both.

“We’ve had a good marketing and development plan in place for a few years,” said Sister Mary John, O.P., who is heading into her fourth year as principal at St. Joseph. “It’s just now bearing fruit.”

The marketing efforts have been helped by the positive experiences parents have had at the school and their willingness to talk to others about them, she said. “They see the value of … a very Catholic educational program. … They see the children growing academically and spiritually.”

Some families interested in eventually sending their children to Pope John Paul II High School are looking to St. Joseph to prepare their children academically, Sister Mary John said. “We have a good reputation for preparing them well for JPII.”

Since the construction of JPII in Hendersonville, St. Joseph has seen the percentage of graduating eighth graders going on to Catholic high school increase to about 95 percent, Sister Mary John said.

St. Joseph’s enrollment also has been helped by offering bus service, she said. “It makes it more convenient for parents to send their children here because we have a lot from the Hendersonville and Goodlettsville areas.”

St. Joseph’s enrollment this year will be 374, up from 360 last year. Leading the enrollment charge at St. Joseph is the eighth grade class with 60 students, which is 10 or 15 more than usual, Sister Mary John said.

Most of the class has been together since they started at St. Joseph as kindergartners, Sister Mary John said.

“It presents a scheduling puzzle,” Sister Mary John said of having a class that big. Music and computer classes have to be split up because of space limitations, she said.

The eighth graders have matched their quantity with quality, Sister Mary John said. They have scored “really, really well” on standardized tests and 17 qualified for the Duke University Talent Identification Program.

St. John Vianney, heading into its sixth year of operation, is becoming a more established school in the community, said Assistant Principal Jennifer McCormick.

“People are hearing about us and are excited about sending their children here,” she said.

Enrollment in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade will be 164 this year, up from 156. “Second grade is huge this year and I know a lot of people are excited about having a (Dominican) sister teaching their children in that religious year” when they will receive their first Communion, McCormick said.

It’s a similar story at Good Shepherd, which will have 71 students in kindergarten through eighth grade this year, up from 67 last year, said science teacher Dave Caso.

In the past, weak enrollment forced Good Shepherd to cut back to kindergarten through fourth grade. But the school has since restored the upper grades, which has fueled recent enrollment gains.

“People are rediscovering Good Shepherd,” Caso said. “The community is realizing we’re back through eighth grade.”

Overbrook School, an independent Catholic school operated by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation, will see enrollment grow this year to 355 students, up from 328.

Increased marketing efforts over the last three years and word-of-mouth referrals have spurred the growth, school officials said.

“Our past and present families, our past and present students and our teachers who love Overbrook and have had a wonderful experience here are spreading the word,” said Principal Sister Marie Blanchette, O.P.

“We want to serve every student who wants a Catholic education,” said McIntyre of Father Ryan. “Our mission is to be a living experience of the Gospel.”

Photo by Andy Telli
St. Henry School librarian Pat McCulloch has moved into the school's new library, which was finished over the summer.