March 12, 2018

St. Mary High School in Westfield to close in June

REGIONAL
Staff report

(IObserve file photo)

WESTFIELD – Members of the St. Mary Parish High School community, here, were informed on Monday evening, March 12, that the parish high school, founded more than 100 years ago, will be closing at the end of the present academic year.

The parish’s elementary school, however, will remain open and is not in danger of closing and, in fact, has experienced growth in recent years.

Teachers were informed this afternoon and Father Frank Lawlor, pastor of St. Mary Parish, met with parents on Monday evening to announce the decision to close the high school and also sent a letter explaining the circumstances leading to the closure.

“In this situation it would be easy to point fingers and to try to assign blame but the sad reality is that our high school has fallen victim to a confluence of demographic and financial trends that make it impossible for us to go forward,” Father Lawlor wrote. “Every school system, both parochial and public, is wrestling with a steep decline in the number of children. The Catholic Church has been struggling to find an answer to the fact that young families are not coming to church and many young parents find their faith irrelevant. 

“On a local basis, we are competing with high quality public schools and a growing number of private and charter schools,” Father Lawlor continued in the letter. “At the same time that these factors have been limiting our pool of potential students our costs have been spiraling upward.”

There currently are 83 students enrolled at St. Mary High School and nine enrolled for the upcoming freshman class. According to figures provided by the Springfield Diocese, St. Mary’s enrollment was 161 for the 200-2001 academic year, and ranged between a high of 158 to a low of 125 between 2001 and 2014. Since 2014, the enrollment has continued to decline to the present 83 students.

In his letter, Father Lawlor stated, “While we have prided ourselves on small classes and individual attention we have now reached the levels that the quality of our educational environment has to be questioned.

“Bishop Rozanski, diocesan officials, and various boards in this parish have discussed and explored, at length, any possible alternatives to this action but have found none that can change the long-term trends,” he said.

Father Lawlor expressed his sadness at the closing, writing, “I know that this news will impact a great number of parishioners who have supported our high school for a long time. I am personally devastated by this decision and all I can say is I am sorry. 

“The St. Mary’s community will always be grateful to our friends and alumni who have supported this school for many years,” he said. “The spirit and the success of St. Mary’s High School will continue on and we can all cherish the gifts and memories that the school has provided for over 100 years.”