50th anniversary year also the last

By David Eck

SPRINGFIELD DEANERY — Mary Help of Christians School in Fairborn, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this school year, will close because of declining enrollment.

In a May 20 letter to parents and parishioners, Father Charles Lang, Mary, Help of Christians pastor, announced the school will shut down after the current school year. The contracts of principal Larry Estes and the five teachers at the school have not been renewed.

CT/TODD MUSKOFF

John Sanders, who attended Mary, Help of Christians School from 1957-63, looks through scrapbooks with photos and news clippings from the school at the school’s 50th anniversary celebration last August.

The school had 38 students registered for the 2008-09 year in grades K-8, including eight kindergartners. Those numbers prompted the closing.

"Because of the extremely low enrollment, (30) students in grades 1-8 for 2008-2009, it is not sound fiscal policy or good stewardship to keep the school open," Father Lang wrote in the letter. "We held registration in hope of gaining enough students to keep the school open until the Dayton (Catholic Education) Collaborative efforts were in place to help us remain open. Unfortunately, we did not gain those numbers; in fact, we lost many students."

Estes said enrollment numbers have dropped from 170 in the 2004-05 school year to 65 this year.

"It was just a spiral," Estes said. "We were trying to hold our numbers around 60-65 and increase them over the summer It wasn’t there."

Estes and the teachers were recently informed of their contract status.

"The mood is very, very somber among the teachers," Estes said. "One teacher does have a (teaching) job for next year. The other four teachers are still looking. I’m still looking."

To cope with lower enrollment this year, the school combined the eight grade levels into four classes and operated a small kindergarten class.

Despite the uncertainty, the school had several highlights this year, including its 7th/8th grade girls’ volleyball team winning a CYO division championship.

The school also started the year with a celebration of the 50th anniversary. In addition to a Mass, the school welcomed back former teachers and students to a reception.

In the best interest of the students, parents and teachers have stayed extremely loyal to the school, Estes said.

"My teachers have put out so much this year," Estes said. "I didn’t see the quality of education go down at all. It’s not that we couldn’t do the job. It’s impossible to work with these (enrollment) numbers."

For active parish families who have registered students for the 2008-09 year and who wish to attend another Catholic school, the parish will pay the difference between the parishioner/non-parishioner tuition, Father Lang said in the letter.

"I believe we have done the best we could to keep the school open as long as we have," Father Lang wrote. "Now, however, I believe we have reached the end. I don’t see how we can justify keeping it open for 30 students."