St. John's Students Start School and Give Back

Press release submitted by St. John's High School

More than 1,000 students returned to the Main Street campus of for the first day of classes last week on Sept. 2.

Enrollment at St. John’s remains robust, even during challenging economic times, a testament to the value that Central Massachusetts and MetroWest parents place on a Catholic, Xaverian education even during an economic downturn.

“Through the dedication of our faculty and staff, St. John’s continues to offer an outstanding college preparatory education rooted in the traditional values of the Xaverian Brothers,” Headmaster Michael Welch said. “St. John’s continues to be accessible to all Central Massachusetts and MetroWest families because of the support our parents, alumni, benefactors and friends give to capital improvements and financial aid. It is inspiring to see how all the members of the St. John’s community—students, faculty, alumni, donors—are truly committed to our mission.”

This year, the student body includes 16 international students from China and South Korea. Locally, 224 students are from Shrewsbury and 166 from Worcester, with the remaining 61 percent from other cities and towns in a wide geographic base stretching from West Brookfield and Oakham to Pepperell and Franklin. In the freshman class, students at St. John’s attended 82 different middle schools last year.

Freshmen began the school year on Aug. 31 with an orientation day, followed by a class retreat on Sept. 1 that included service work at Community Harvest Project in Grafton. Dozens of incoming seniors gave up the last days of their summer vacation to volunteer as “Big Red” group leaders and mentors on the freshman orientation day and retreat.