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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Re: can we talk school closings?
This is just such a weird feeling. Sorry, Tam.
So this is a really stupid question but what do they do with all of these empty buildings now? Will they just sit there? Be torn down?
This is just such a weird feeling. Sorry, Tam.
So this is a really stupid question but what do they do with all of these empty buildings now? Will they just sit there? Be torn down?
prendie is closing as well. my mom and all of her sisters went there before me so it is tough to hear it. there was some added tradition there for us.
i am curious to see what they can do with the bldg because i believe it is historic since it started as the drexel family's country home, then was an orphanage. when the house was willed to the AoP there was an education/child mission provision. hmmmmmm.
I have been holding off on commenting on this because I am a jumble of thoughts and feelings right now, especially given the fact that my alma mater is remaining open.
My opinion is this:
First - those that are annoying you with the inundations of posts on Facebook/Twitter, etc. are entitled to be sad/scared at the thought of their school closing. People use social media as a way to express themselves, obvs. If you don't like it, you have the right to say you don't like it.
Second - Those that keep saying "well the AoP would have the cash if they didn't have to pay out money to victims of priest abuse" can stick a sock in it. No one is saying that those things didn't happen. It's just not the point today.
Third - those that proclaim that the ones on social media sites shouting their support from the rooftops haven't supported their schools because they never wrote a check can also (lovingly) stick a sock in it. A) You don't know what people do. You're judging and making assumptions, plain and simple.
Writing a check isn't that easy for some people, especially in these times. C) Writing a check isn't the only way to show your support to your school.
To piggy back off of my third point above, Little Flower has one of the most, if not the absolute most dedicated and involved alumnae association I have ever seen. My husband and father went to Father Judge and my mom and brother went to Cardinal Dougherty. I've seen newsletters and publications for all of these schools. From what I can gather, none of them hold a candle to LF in terms of donations and activities and committees, etc. Just because Suzy Graduate can't write a check doesn't mean she's not down there at the Phone a Thon donating her time asking others to pledge or helping with the Annual Alumnae mass and luncheon, or other ways of donating time.
Obviously there a shitton of flaws in the system and the Archdiocese can't continue on this path and expect any surges in enrollment in both the grade and high schools. However, what's bugging me in all of this, in case you haven't gathered by my tirade, are people's assumptions and annoyances by folks showing support for their school.
/end rant
Charter Schools? That's what they did with Dougherty.
I'm really sorry to all alums on our board that have their schools closing.
As for the Prendie/Bonner properties I think that DCMH will want to purchase at least a portion of the land (across Keystone Ave). The hospital is landlocked and the archdiocese could stand to make a fair amount of $ on the sale.
I know I don't have a horse in this race, being that I went to public school and am not Catholic.
However, hearing about the closing of schools saddens me. I understand that at this point the AoP cannot sustain things how they are and that needs to change. I get that schools will combine and consolidate.
It's just sad that for most residents of Philadelphia, their options now are either the public school system (which overall is pretty crappy), an exorbitantly expensive private school, or hoofing it across the city to a different Catholic school. It's terrible that communities with already limited educational resources will be further restricted.
I don't know how choosing a Catholic school works though- for elementary school, I would think they would go to their own parish school or a neighboring parish school. What about middle school or high school? Do they go to the school in their area, or can they enroll at one that's farther away?
Elementary schools are K-8 and usually have a geographic boundary. With the high school, students can choose (previously, there were boundaries, but I believe as high schools started to close, those restrictions on high schools were lifted). This is how you can see kids taking the R5 to Carroll in Radnor from Overbrook or Ardmore.
I will preface by saying I spent 12 years and catholic school and now send T1 to a public school. 1. because we couldn't afford catholic school 2. because the education and curriculum was better at the school he is in now. We tried catholic school for one year and decided we were not willing to sacrifice my child's education for religion. Instead, we teach religion at home and he attends CCD.
However, for myself and many of my friends/family, our elementary school/parish really defined who we were and where we were from, it was the neighborhood and community where you grew up. While I am sad to see the grade school where myself and my dad both attended, I understand why it has to be done.
I feel sorry for many of my friends who will lose their jobs as teachers that they love so much. I feel even more sorry for the high school students that have to separate from their friends and for all the parent's that are now faced with scrambling to find a new school for their children by the fall.
Jonathan Dean 4.5.08
Anna Capri 5.4.11
I had to bring back an oldie but a goodie (for those of you who remember
I agree- the closing of these schools sucks. I'm a product of 16 yrs of a Catholic education. Grade school, HS and college. I send my daughter to Pre K at a Catholic school (which was on the chopping block but luckily escaped a shut down or a merger). It's sad all around. I'm sad for those whose schools are closing, esp the kids and the teachers.
TJW arrived 7/28/11
here's the list
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20120106_Archdiocese_school_closings_mergers.html
TJW arrived 7/28/11
I haven't really been commenting on this situation because I have so many mixed feelings about it.
I feel bad for all those people who are losing their schools. The schools defined our neighborhoods and were our second homes. Not only did I attend school there, grow up, and make friends there I also made all of my sacraments there in the church. I think a lot of people, like myself, just ignorantly never really thought the schools would go away. Those schools hold a lot of memories for people and whether they thought to cut a check as an adult or not shouldn't mean they can't be sad about losing the places that hold all of those memories.
The closing of schools unfortunately makes sense as the enrollment is lower. The reason for that is a lot more complicated than money. I think the whole Catholic church needs to reform before they become extinct. My uncle is a Catholic priest and they have little to no men joining the seminary anymore. The numbers are so low they might just cease to exist. I'm sure that is happening in more than just his order.
It is way more complicted then enrollment. I was just mentioning the other factor to p, that at one time they had FREE TEACHERS, aka nuns out the bills no more though.
My grade school is on the list :-( My high school was merged 6 years ago into a co-ed school. In addition to salaries and enrollment, it also comes down to the maintenance and age of these buildings. Many of them are 60+ years old and need thousands in repairs and the parishes just can't afford to make the repairs.
I have to be honest that I don't have much feeling about this at all. My Catholic grade school survived the cut but I don't know that I'd be that heartbroken had it. This is probably a UO. It just hasn't really affected me.
I loved my school. And my upbringing. But I realized that it was the community and people that made that, not the faith-based element. That's why I chose a strong community and good street and great people and great public schools to raise our family.
With rising housing costs and taxes, and with Catholic schools just not having the facilities and programs, especially special needs and accelerated studies, that public schools have, and church attendance decreasing to boot, I think the closings make sense.
I really don't see this as being the end of it either in. Some families will choose public school over their new Catholic school assignment, and with one child will go all their children. Costs will need to be made up again in the not so distant future. It seems as though the Archdiocese is hanging on by a string.