St. Bernard's continues preparing for fall opening

By Tanya Connor
The Catholic Free Press

Families are showing interest in the new St. Bernard’s High School in Fitchburg, which is preparing to open Sept. 2 as a private Catholic school, according to Linda D. Anderson, principal.
As the school prepares for the July 1 change in governance, present faculty are being offered contracts to return, she said.
And fundraising efforts continue, altered temporarily because of the coronavirus pandemic, said Nicholas Pelletier, treasurer of the Bernardian Charitable Foundation and a member of the school’s board of trustees.
St. Bernard Central Catholic High School has long been a diocesan school, but is now changing hands and dropping the Central Catholic portion of its name.
With Bishop McManus’ blessing, those trying to take on the leadership of the school formed a board of trustees - which includes alumni, business leaders, the pastor of St. Bernard Parish in Fitchburg and a Presentation Sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary -  and incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization, Mrs. Anderson said.
The diocese is completing the paperwork for a memorandum of understanding pertaining to governance and use of the facilities, and the new school will be responsible for operating expenses and repairs, she said.  
Low enrollment at St. Bernard’s had left the diocese covering financial deficits. Last June the diocese agreed to cover the deficit, up to $900,000, for one more year, if enrollment exceeded 100. In July, with 105 enrolled, it was announced that the school could stay open for the 2019-2020 academic year. Mrs. Anderson said the school now has 112 students, including graduating seniors.
She said they gave themselves an enrollment target of 125 students for the 2020-2021 academic year.
“I know we’re close to 120 currently,” she said Tuesday. “And we’re anticipating 125-135, because we’re still actively taking applications, and we get new applications every week.”
Given the difficulties presented by the coronavirus, “we’re happy to let families have time to think” about enrollment, she said.
The projection is to double enrollment over five years, said David Sullivan, president of the school’s board of trustees.
That’s the basis for the calculation that the school needs $2 million in order to operate for the next five years, said Mr. Pelletier.
He said more than $1 million of that has been raised through gifts and pledges from individuals and some businesses.
“Once COVID-19 started, we slowed down our fundraising, out of respect for the situation,” he said. “We instead focused on grants and foundations. … We are now re-engaging many of our key donors,” going into the summer.
“We have not had any donors to date who have changed any of their plans” for their pledges, he said. “We’re still on track with the ‘All In’ campaign to raise another million.”
Drawing from the $1 million raised, they’ve budgeted for financial aid for the 2020-2021 school year for all students who need it, Mr. Pelletier said.    
A $50,000 grant is providing additional financial aid for freshmen and transfer students, he said. He said responses are pending for four or five additional grants to help with more financial aid, facility improvements and program enhancements.
Mrs. Anderson said she’s seeing more interest in St. Bernard’s High School coming from Catholic elementary schools. And some public school families that weren’t looking at St. Bernard’s, or didn’t make it their first choice, learned more about it and are now planning to send their children there, she said.
“What they often articulate is, ‘We want the community,’” she said. The school’s small size also attracts them.
“It’s a faith-filled, compassionate … warm place to be,” she said. “The world seems to get colder and colder. St. Bernard’s offers an oasis.”
She said she thinks sometimes families don’t realize this until their children start attending the school and recognize that they’re loved.
“In Catholic education, relationships are central to the growth of our students,” Mrs. Anderson said. “These young men and women, they are so much in need of being part of something bigger than themselves. …
“It’s a unique community. Our motto is, ‘Love one another.’ It’s real. … We really do care for each other. … It’s teachers helping students, students helping students, administrators helping parents … Because we’re a community of helpers, we’re a community of leaders.”
That’s why they fought to keep the school open, she said, adding, “It was worth fighting for and it continues to be worth fighting for.”