Catholic schools prepared for new year

By Tanya Connor | The Catholic Free Press

Catholic schools in the diocese are seeing, or preparing for, improvements. As the 2022-2023 academic year approaches, David Perda, superintendent, told The Catholic Free Press about some of those achievements and hopes.
Enrollment has climbed in some schools in the diocese.
Some are making capital improvements.
Mental health training is scheduled so teachers can better help stressed students.
And all the schools are to focus on their Catholic mission.
One challenge schools hope not to have to address this year is the coronavirus pandemic, but they are prepared if need be, Superintendent Perda said. At principals’ meetings on Zoom, he’s seen that it was difficult for these leaders to ensure safety and deal with school community members’ disagreements about masks and vaccinations.
“The stress is from trying to be all things to all people,” which is impossible, he said.
“We did a good job with remote learning” when that started, and a good job following health experts’ precautions, he said. “We grew in our confidence.” There were still some cases of COVID, but addressing them “became a normal part of the routine,” he said.
The past school year was a “pretty good year,” but there were still disagreements within school communities about how to respond to the virus and precautions, which at times distracted leaders from focusing on academics and mission, he said.
“It also led to stresses … manifested in mental health needs among kids,” he said. “I don’t think it’s just COVID … just dealing with the divisiveness … inflation.”
Schools need to be better equipped to recognize warning signs of stress and other mental health issues, and be better equipped to support families, he said.
“So, one of the things we’re doing in our professional development days” for principals and teachers is holding “Youth Mental Health First Aid” training, a national program funded by a government grant, being given this academic year by trainers from Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services, he said.
“I want to better equip our staff to recognize” what students need, Superintendent Perda said. “That’s one of the things we learned from the pandemic. It’s tough being a young person these days.” Experiencing trauma affects students’ ability to learn.
Next spring’s professional day is to be a religious enrichment day, the superintendent said. In addition, the Catholic Schools Office, in partnership with the diocesan Office of Religious Education, held an “Introduction to Ministry” for newly hired teachers – going back three years this time, since it was not offered the last two years because of the pandemic.
“Our mission” must be “at the forefront of all that we do,” Superintendent Perda said. “We want Jesus Christ to be integrated throughout our schooling,” in academics and other areas. It’s important to hire people who understand and embrace the mission, and to offer them opportunities for continued growth. Some of those opportunities are formal, like professional days, but “some of the best growth can take place within schools” informally.
“Moral development – it needs to be grounded in the faith,” he said. “We need to be persistent with it, especially in 2022,” as students see questionable choices being made by peers, in movies, and on television and the internet. So, it’s important to expose students to good decision-making, he said; in many cases, adults serving in the schools are role models. One of the primary reasons parents choose Catholic schools is to have their children in a place where the values are like theirs.
Another reason he thinks parents chose Catholic schools recently is because these schools, unlike some public schools, had mostly in-person learning during the 2020-2021 academic year. Last fall, Catholic schools retained many of these students, and early data for the upcoming academic year suggests that the schools are continuing to maintain that enrollment. Schools typically do not have final enrollment figures until October, he said.
Superintendent Perda and school representatives gave the following data for some schools.     
Enrollment at St. Bernard Elementary in Fitchburg was 205 for the 2019-2020 school year, 217 in 2020-2021 and 232 in 2021-2022 and was 255 this month.
St. Leo Elementary in Leominster had an enrollment of 238 in 2019-2020, dropped to 210 in 2020-2021 because of social distancing requirements, rose to 233 in 2021-2022 and this month had 251 for 2022-2023.
St. Joseph Elementary in Webster had 195 in 2019-2020, 179 the last two years and 192 this month.
St. Peter Central Catholic Elementary in Worcester had 339 in 2019-2020, 332 in 2020-2021, 351 last year, and about 350 this month, with openings in some grades and waiting lists for others.
“They’re still getting enrollment, especially pre-K,” the superintendent said of this diocesan school.  
The other diocesan school, St. Paul Diocesan Junior/Senior High, has seen enrollment drop. Superintendent Perda said that when the other two diocesan junior/senior high schools in Worcester were merged to form St. Paul’s three years ago, many who enrolled in the new school were the older students, who have graduated and haven’t been replaced. The school is seeking to recruit students in all grades, but families tend to look at new schools when their children are entering grades seven and eight, he said.
St. Paul’s is among schools making capital improvements, Superintendent Perda said. Stained-glass windows from the chapel at St. Peter-Marian, which was merged with Holy Name to form St. Paul’s at Holy Name’s campus, are to be installed in the auditorium.
Another capital improvement is at Trinity Catholic Academy in Southbridge, where “they’ve done a great job raising money to build a new science lab,” Superintendent Perda said. Renovations have been done throughout the summer and equipment is to be installed in September, according to Angela Symock, principal.
All Saints Academy in Webster has capital improvements too.
“We are redoing the gym within our building to reflect All Saints Academy, and no longer St. Louis School,” using the Knights logo on the floor, said Ellen Tagg, business and marketing director.
Another improvement is that the school now has a Chromebook for each student from pre-school through grade 8, she said.
This will be the first full academic year for the GRACE Center, with a gym and classrooms used by Our Lady of the Valley, Superintendent Perda noted. The center was blessed and opened last January.
“It’s good to see some signs of growth … in our schools” in capital improvements, he said. “We don’t have the infusion of public funds that the public schools have. We have to raise that money on our own.”
However, he added, “There’s been a good infusion of federal funds” for Catholic schools too because of the pandemic, which helped them purchase personal protective equipment and technology.