Detroit parochial school closings

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puzzleannie

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grew up in Detroit, can Sue or anybody else out there tell me the high schools and grades schools that are closing? Mine and hub’s are long gone (St Marys RO and Austin Prep).
 
Bishop Borgess High School & Academy, Redford Township, 103
students in high school, 66 in academy.
East Catholic High School, Detroit, 124.
Holy Redeemer High School, Detroit, 189.
Notre Dame High School, Harper Woods, 295.
Our Lady Queen of Angels Elementary (Southwest Catholic
School Alliance), Detroit, 87.
St. Alphonsus Elementary School, Dearborn, 106.
St. Benedict Elementary School, Highland Park, 135.
St. Casimir Elementary School, Detroit, 127.
St. Clement High School, Center Line, 134.
St. Florian Elementary School, Hamtramck, 113.
St. Luke/St. Brigid Elementary School, Detroit, 143.
St. Martin de Porres High School, Detroit, 224.
St. Mel Elementary School, Dearborn Heights, 119.
Transfiguration Elementary School, Detroit, less than 100.
Trinity High School, Harper Woods, 163

aodonline.org/AODOnline/News+++Publications+2203/News+and+Pubs±+School+Closings.htm
 
They’re talking about closing 2-4 elem. schools in Monroe County just south of Detroit.

This burns me up. I’ve got a 2 year old I’d like to send to Catholic school in a couple of years. We only have one (that I’m aware of) Catholic preschool in the county as it is. It seems like we should be trying to grow the schools instead of closing them.
 
Is enrollment down?
Unfortunately, parish closings and consolidations are increasing. 😦
 
The only place I’ve heard about school closings in Monroe was in last nights Monroe Evening News. I think the enrollment is pretty much the same as in the recent past.
 
sad, very sad, the parochial schools are largely responsible for forming Catholic identity and their decline is largely responsible for the lack of such formation (in my opinion)
 
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Lilyofthevalley:
Is enrollment down?
Unfortunately, parish closings and consolidations are increasing. 😦
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The numbers msproule posted were the current enrollments at those schools.
 
I think the problem stems from people not understanding the value of Catholic schools. It should be a whole parish’s obligation and desire to educate young Catholics in the faith, but we seem to develop a capitalistic “what’s-in-it-for-me” approach even to this fundamental need. I recently moved to a more rural area of Michigan where Catholic schools are close to non-existent. We have a high number of home school families here and they are some of the brightest kids I’ve known. While these families are often looked upon by some families as just plain weird b/c they are doing something different than the norm, I think even that can be an awesome lesson to young people. It seems to me that we need to build up Catholic culture in the home to prepare to rebuild it in more public ways.
 
Brendan thank-you! I am sooo embarassed for missing that!
 
They’re closing my kindergarten school (St. Mel’s, Dearborn Heights), as well as my dad’s early elem. school (St. Casimir, Detroit). 😦

Unfortunately they don’t really have a choice. The population is migrating further and further out of the city and immediate surroundings, and those who left aren’t going to commute in just for church and school. They’re just building new parishes.
 
There are schools opening here, or at least relocating and expanding. For example, the newly relocated, state-of-the-art Catholic “Central” High School opens this year.

I put “Central” in quotation marks because it is now a mere 6 miles from the western boundary of the Archdiocese! That is an indication of the population shift that has occurred in and around Detroit. A huge vacuum has been created in the city and older suburbs. Unfortunately, some of those who need these schools the most are going to suffer as a result.
 
They are actually expanding the school at St. Michael’s in Southfield with modular class rooms.

BTW: The school is celebrating their 75th anniversary next month.

PF
 
Chris in Mich:
An article in the Free Press today states that Bishop Borgess will convert into what sounds like a protestant school, but much of the staff will remain in place. freep.com/news/education/catholic27e_20050727.htm
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Interesting…the biggest surprise to me was to learn that nearly 9 out of 10 students at Bishop Borgess were not even Catholic! I suppose this is better than permanent closure of the school, despite the loss of its Catholic identity.
 
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msproule:
Interesting…the biggest surprise to me was to learn that nearly 9 out of 10 students at Bishop Borgess were not even Catholic! I suppose this is better than permanent closure of the school, despite the loss of its Catholic identity.
Click to expand...
Many of the schools that closed faced that same situation. It’s a shame that in most classes there isn’t even a case made for the Catholic church. I’ve spoken with protestants who’ve spent many years in the Catholic school system, and been told that there was nothing taught in any of the classes that would make them inclined to conversion.
 
When I attended Bishop Borgess High School, enrollment was at around 1,500. Last year’s enrollment was about 200, and that was for grades 1-12!! But, they were still trying to run a high level football program.

Now, the new Catholic Central has an academic and a athletic wing. Their new football stadium has astroturf and holds 4,500. Their basketball court has wrap around bleachers. Their teaching priests now have to travel almost an hour (from a five minute commute) to get to work.

No doubt, the parents are paying a hefty tuition to send their boys here. But talk about overdoing it.

True. A lot of kids attending Catholic schools are not Catholic. Parents are sending their kids to these schools because the Detroit Public School system is so disorganized. Also, because they would like to have their children to have some sort of spiritual education. This is why Borgess was given permission to continue on as a Covenent school.

Maggie
 
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