As Loretto Catholic School Closes, St. Michael Making Room

One community's loss may turn out to be St. Michael's gain, as St. Michael Catholic School attempts to help some local families find a home for kids who will be without a school next year. 

The Academy of Saints Peter and Paul, which operated in Loretto, about 10 miles south of Hanover at the intersection of Wright County Road 19 and Minnesota Highway 55, announced it would close its doors after completing the 2010-2011 school year. 

"There were phone calls coming, so I knew Friday, May 13 that this was going to be something that was going to impact our school," said Jennifer Haller, principal at St. Michael Catholic School. 

With the 2011-2012 year already a year of change and addition – St. Michael is adding seventh grade back to the fold for the first time in generations – the closing of Sts. Peter and Paul means opportunity and more growth for the school.

"We've met some beautiful families. I think this is a chance for us to continue to grow and to help out some people who, right now, feel like they don't have anywhere to turn."

The Academy housed students from preschool to eighth grade, which is, ultimately, what Haller hopes to transition St. Michael (currently K-6, soon to be K-8 by 2012-2013) to with future expansions.

She has already given tours to students from St. Peter and Paul, and had discussions with local families about expanding class sizes, and creating wait lists at grade sections that weren't full until this development.

"We'll stick to 26 [students per classroom] and two sections of each grade. Right now, we have 25 seventh-graders, so we're on the line there," Haller said. "We've added nine new students [both from the academy and through other tours] already." 

First grade, for example, will be full. Fourth grade may also have a waiting list.

St. Michael does have a criteria for "who gets in, who waits," to put it roughly. Local Catholic families who are members of St. Michael or St. Albert have priority behind current students and their siblings (who, naturally, top the list). Third on the list would be families from other Catholic parishes who want to bring students to St. Michael.

Students from Sts. Peter and Paul would be placed at that second level (local parish members), giving them some priority over, say, a Catholic family from Elk River or Rogers.

That shouldn't be an issue. Elk River's St. Andrew's is eliminating sixth grade (another move that could cause an influx of students at St. Michael), and other schools, like Mary Queen of Peace in Rogers, have plenty of space.

"We're in a very fortunate position to be growing, and we've gotten tremendous support from the families of our students and the members of St. Michael Parish. We're just very blessed," Haller said.

In her announcement of the academy's closing, Archdiocese Superintendent of Schools Martha Frauenheim said Loretto made a "difficult decision," but one that was made with a lot of deliberation.

"They worked hard to meet the benchmarks that they, themselves, set to be sustainable into the future," Frauenheim said in a note to fellow school presidents and principals. "As they reviewed their situation, they concluded they would be unable to attain the financial and enrollments benchmarks needed. Theyinformed their parents and parish community of their decision [two weeks ago]. Please keep all of them in your prayers as they go through this difficult time as a parish community."

John Goodpaster, principal of the academy, shared a message with parishioners after Sunday's mass. 

"We are all very sad about this," he wrote in a message that appeared in the church bulletin. "Our teachers and staff are looking for new work. Any assistance [the parish] may give is appreciated. It has been a great privilege to have worked with your children for the last 15 years. This school will always hold a very special place in my heart."

The final graduation ceremony for eighth-graders at the academy will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 2 at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Loretto.