| Newspapers; 3/5/06 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 5 2006, 08:13 AM (215 Views) | |
| NFarquharson | Mar 5 2006, 08:13 AM Post #1 |
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From the Livonia Observer: http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/.../603050405/1027 Art class uses technology for claymation BY STEPHANIE ANGELYN CASOLA STAFF WRITER The next Tim Burton could be lurking in Jamey Masters' art class at Garfield Elementary. Whether or not that's the case, his fifth grade students have spent the past two months perfecting a claymation movie project inspired by Burton's Corpse Bride and another 2005 animated hit Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Masters, who teaches art at both Garfield and Buchanan elementary schools in Livonia, said this is the most advanced version of the animation project he's been able to offer students. Three classes of fifth grade students are working on three versions of a claymation movie. In each class, students are divided into three groups: Character development, background sets and film crew. One student director leads each group. The students use Apple iBook laptops with iMovie software as part of the project. Masters said art -- and art class -- incorporates more technology today. Though it's a different approach, he said, students still learn the basics of the craft, like drawing and painting. Through the claymation project all aspects of art are covered, and students have more social interaction than ever. "It used to be all individual," said Masters. "Now there's more of a social aspect." He anticipates the project will take until the end of the year to complete. Filming began Wednesday, and the students will add voices to their characters before completing the movies. And when they've completed each of the five-minute productions, the school may host a viewing. For now, students are battling the challenges of their first claymation movie. Chad Cacicedo said it takes time to film each scene. "It's very difficult to move one little bit and make sure you're out of the picture," he said. And Drake Hogan, director of his class's project, said with the computers in the classroom he wasn't surprised to learn he'd be making a movie in art class. "I want it to look good," he said. Masters said: "I think they've had a lot of fun." Originally published March 5, 2006 _____________________________________ http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...529/1199/NEWS10 Students want academic rigor if it's relevant to their goals At a recent state Senate committee meeting on the proposal to require 18 high school credits, two students from Woodhaven High School came forward to bravely offer their views on the subject. They each gave strong, telling testimony that spoke volumes about our educational system, about continuing feelings about class differences and about a clash of expectations. Jake Taylor, a senior at Woodhaven, told the committee, chaired by Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland, that he was learning welding in order to pursue a trade as a boiler maker. He passionately argued that his career goals were every bit as valid as those of future doctors, lawyers and scientists and shouldn't be shunted aside if new credit standards are adopted. "Some can't afford college and some have to start working after graduation," he said. He also made the valid point that he could start earning a good income a lot sooner than someone who goes away to college. As the son of a pipefitter (who was something of a jack of all trades), I think Jake makes some good points. Not all good jobs will require a bachelor's degree, and we will have a continuing need for health care technicians, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, machinists and, yes, boiler makers. And these jobs do and will pay good wages. But even these positions will require some post high school training and will require the kind of solid academic base proposed in the state's requirements. And, unfortunately, some of these jobs in the traditional factory setting will not be done in this country where wages have become prohibitive for some corporations. Katie Williams, another senior, had to wait a while to make her presentation, anxiously rolling and unrolling her written presentation. She had several concerns: the credit requirements will cut into sports time, they will cut into social time, they require costly tutoring that many parents can't afford and that they aren't relevant to her interest in pursuing some kind of dental education. The argument about social time is not one to impress many adults, who watch fierce foreign competition dragging our economy down. And many would argue that students who love sports will find a way to make the time. But the most important question Katie asks is, "What do these requirements have to do with me?" The state Department of Education is pushing a mantra that goes "rigor, relevance, relationships" with the added phrase "rigor without relevance is meaningless." Unfortunately, many students have a hard time grasping the relevance of x + 23= 2x + 45, especially as it applies to welding or dentistry. (Or journalism for that matter). But it is relevant to being educated and it is, often, relevant to skilled trades. In fact Jeremy Hughes, deputy state superintendent of public instruction, argued Monday that the math credits could be earned in the context of career tech classes and would be more relevant if they were. And here's the kicker. On Thursday, the Bill & Melissa Gates Foundation released a survey of high school dropouts, conducted by the Peter D. Hart Research Associates. They found that nearly two-thirds of high school dropouts would have worked harder if expectations had been higher. They didn't drop out because school was too hard; they dropped out because school was too easy. They dropped out because nobody seemed to care enough to push them to do their best. They dropped out because they were "unchallenged, unmotivated, bored and unsupported." Economics, family illness and becoming a parent were other reasons cited. According to the survey of 470 dropouts ages 16-25, nearly 50 percent said they left school "because their classes were boring and not relevant to their lives or career aspirations" and a majority said that their schools did not motivate them to work hard. The survey also reports that 62 percent of those surveyed had C or better grades and 70 percent reported that they were confident they would have met graduation requirements. If the legislature approves some form of mandated requirements and schools begin to implement them, they need to understand the concerns of Jake, Katie and those students who couldn't be bothered to finish high school. Rigor, relevance, relationships. Yes! Hugh Gallagher is the managing editor of The Observer Newspapers. He can be reached by e-mail at hgallagher@oe.homecomm.net, by phone at (734) 953-2149 or by fax at (734) 591-7279. Originally published March 5, 2006 |
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| NFarquharson | Mar 5 2006, 08:18 AM Post #2 |
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From the Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...67/1006/METRO01 Sunday, March 05, 2006 Wayne briefs Darren A. Nichols / The Detroit News Flat Rock Patterson to host schools meeting State Sen. Bruce Patterson, R-Canton Township, will host a town hall forum on education and school finance at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Flat Rock Community Center, 1 Maguire St. Senate Education Committee Chairman Wayne Kuipers and Sen. Ron Jelinek, K-12 school funding subcommittee chairman, will attend. Livonia PR chief's duties expanded Mayor Jack Engebretson appointed Patricia Seleski, the city's chief of public relations, to a second position of director of administrative services, effective last Wednesday. The director acts as a liaison between the mayor and the city's departments. The position had been vacant for 27 months since Gail Karczynski retired. Livonia Panel to hear bus system update The City Council's finance, insurance and budget committee will hear an update from the Livonia transit committee Tuesday on the local bus system that will replace SMART buses when Livonia leaves the regional system Dec. 1. The committee will also take a look at the proposal to create a six-square-mile industrial development district that would qualify businesses for tax abatements. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in council chambers, 33000 Civic Center Drive. |
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| NFarquharson | Mar 5 2006, 08:28 AM Post #3 |
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From the Redford Observer: http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/.../603050442/1033 Parents, teachers defend Pearson BY MATT JACHMAN STAFF WRITER Fearing the school will be sacrificed in a reorganization, staff members and parents at the Pearson Education Center are speaking out in an effort to keep their community together. Anguish over Pearson's future, days after Bulman Elementary parents launched a campaign to save that school, illustrates the difficulty Redford Union Board of Education trustees face as they grapple with proposals to close school buildings and shift programs. RU officials say a deficit estimated at $3.7 million necessitates a district downsizing. The board is scheduled to vote on a reorganization plan on Monday, March 13. Pearson, a former junior high on Beech Daly, offers a variety of programs, including tuition-based child care, an alternative high school, and a program for schools-of-choice students in grades five through 12, who come from neighboring districts. There are about 300 schools-of-choice students in grades five through eight, 160 at the high school level. The prospect that those students could be moved to Hilbert Middle School and RU High School, under a plan that garnered favorable reactions at a school board meeting last week, upsets Pearson parents. "To make our children suffer, put out of their school because the district cannot find another way ... it's crazy," said Geraldine Foster, the mother of a Pearson sixth-grader, on Thursday. Parents and teachers say Pearson is a safe, tight-knit school with a caring staff and involved parents. They say it gives schools-of-choice students from troubled, dangerous schools -- many are former Detroit Public Schools students --a chance to learn and grow. "People come from all over to Pearson," said James Atkins, the father of an eighth-grader and a sixth-grader. "It's a great magnet." "I love it here. I love the environment. Staff is awesome," said Marion Tate, a Spanish and English teacher. "This is the hardest-working staff I have ever worked with," said teacher Debbie Fitrakis. Pearson teachers are not unionized, and their pay scale is less than that of their counterparts at other RU schools. Despite an overwhelmingly white staff -- Tate is the only African American teacher -- and a largely black schools-of-choice enrollment, Pearson boosters said the students, parents and employees connect. Tate said she hasn't seen a single racial issue there. "I've never been in a place like that," she said. Atkins said moving schools-of-choice students into Hilbert and RU High School would be treating Pearson as a second-class school. The district benefits from the per-pupil state funding the students bring, he said, but appears ready to inconvenience them in order to placate people at other schools. "Some of these kids will go back to DPS" if the Pearson program is altered, Atkins said. All of RU's elementary-aged schools-of-choice students, who started out in a program at Roosevelt School, are integrated into the district's elementaries, as are some at the high school. Fitrakis said Pearson has been misperceived as a place for troubled students. "People need to take a look and see what goes on here," she said. "If it was such a bad place ... it would be empty," said Foster. Board of Education President Rob Pytel cautioned that the plan to move Pearson students hasn't been adopted, and that the board is considering many proposals. He said he expected people at Pearson to fight for their school. "These people care about their community. They care about their children's education," Pytel said. "If they weren't doing anything, that would concern me." Pytel said he would remain as objective as possible, but that not everyone will be happy once the board reaches a decision. "It's painful. Somebody's comfort zone is going to be violated," he said. mjachman@oe.homecomm.net (734) 953-2115 Originally published March 5, 2006 _________________________________ http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/.../603050447/1033 District to start big Thurston bond work South Redford Schools is getting ready to take bids for the most-anticipated projects of the $32.6 million bond approved for district building and renovations. Recommendations for three significant bond packages are expected to come before the school board for approval beginning this month. The first package includes foundations for Thurston High School's new performing arts center, auxiliary gymnasium and athletic fieldhouse, as well as the artificial turf field and parking. The board will discuss recommendations beginning Monday, March 13. Should all go according to plan, construction work would begin Saturday, April 1, at the high school. "We want the greatest number of bids on it," said Bill Weber, superintendent. Those bids would then be reviewed to make sure every item is covered by the interested contractors. Weber called the timeline an aggressive one. Elementary and middle school bids which cover entranceway renovations for all buildings, athletic facilities at Pierce and bus loops and student drop-off zones will be due Wednesday, March 22, and are expected to come before the board at a special meeting set for 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 12, at the administration office at 26141 Schoolcraft. "Again, it's a quick turnaround time," said Weber. "The elementary and middle school will be done by the end of summer. We don't have any slack time." The balance of the renovations, and largest bid package, include sound and lighting, heating and plumbing at Thurston. Bids are due at noon on Friday, April 21, for this package, and expected to come before trustees on Monday, May 8. "Some of this work is not as critical," said Weber, comparing it to the earlier Thurston package. "A lot of it is ongoing work. We wanted to get the prices locked in." Asbestos abatement is also part of the renovations. It will take place at district buildings during spring and summer breaks, as well as on evenings and weekends, when students and staff are not in the schools, officials said. For more information, call the district at (313) 535-4000. By Stephanie A. Casola Originally published March 5, 2006 __________________________________ http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...452/1033/NEWS16 Hearing the next step in RU cut plan Downsizing plans will be the topic of a Monday public hearing before the Redford Union Board of Education. The meeting is at 7 p.m. in the south gymnasium at Hilbert Middle School, 26440 Puritan. "We're trying to allow as much community input as possible," said Rob Pytel, the school board president. District officials say a budget deficit, estimated at $3.7 million, is forcing them to close some buildings and shift programs. Job cuts are also planned. Last week, 10 new reorganization proposals were added to three that had already been announced. District acting Supt. Donna Rhodes said Friday that seven of the proposals that would meet budget-reduction goals were being studied in depth in advance of Monday's meeting. The school board is scheduled to choose a reorganization proposal at its Monday, March 13, regular meeting. Originally published March 5, 2006 ________________________________ http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...765/1033/NEWS16 Pearson shift is 1 of new RU deficit plans BY MATT JACHMAN STAFF WRITER A slew of new reorganization proposals, including one that would preserve all four elementary schools and meet budget-cutting goals, has shifted the debate in the Redford Union School District. Thirteen proposals for closing buildings and moving student programs, 10 of them new, were discussed Monday evening at an RU Board of Education study session. Acting Supt. Donna Rhodes said the list would be narrowed, based on board and public input, by late Wednesday to give officials time to study a few plans in detail -- and pin down potential savings estimates -- before a public hearing set for Monday. One plan, dubbed Concept 12, would close the Raeside Administration Building, the B. Beck Educational Center and Roosevelt School but would keep the four current elementaries intact, adding some special education students at each and a child-care facility at MacGowan Elementary. That plan won favorable remarks from parents at Monday's study session. "Whoever came up with 12 is a genius in my book," said John Pullum, one of the leaders of a group of Bulman Elementary parents who are lobbying to keep their school open. "Maybe I'll have to do 'save all schools dot com next,' " joked Pullum, who runs the parents' Web site www.savebulman.com. But Concept 12 would radically alter the Pearson Education Center, taking its junior-high- and high-school-aged schools-of-choice students from neighboring districts and integrating them at Hilbert Middle School and RU High School. Administrative offices, the district nurse's offices, alternative programs and a program for learning-disabled would be housed at Pearson under the plan. "For many of these children, it will not make them happy," Rhodes said of the schools-of-choice students. "There is a school that is losing its school" under Concept 12, she added. "Thank you," responded Pearson's principal, Karen Moran, from the audience on Monday. By Tuesday, the buzz was going around Pearson that the school could be a loser in the reorganization. "We have to speak up. We have to do what we can do," said Debbie Fitrakis, a Pearson staffer. "Everybody is out to save their kids and not looking at the whole picture," she added. Another meeting on the reorganization proposals is tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday in the south gymnasium at Hilbert Middle School. The meeting was to be held at the high school, but a tournament basketball game slated for that night would make parking there difficult, Rhodes said. Facing a budget deficit estimated at $3.7 million, and with slightly more than three years to overcome it, RU officials say some buildings must be closed and programs shifted. Staff reductions are also planned. For more on the various reorganization proposals, visit the district's Web site, www.redfordu.k12.mi.us. mjachman@oe.homecomm.net | (734) 953-2115 Originally published March 2, 2006 ________________________________ http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...764/1033/NEWS16 S. Redford maps out its tech makeover BY STEPHANIE ANGELYN CASOLA STAFF WRITER As technology speeds forward, South Redford Schools is playing catch up. The district is in the process of revamping everything from computers to sound systems and installing a fiber optic network. The project is just part of the $32.6 million bond, which voters passed last year. "When everyone comes back (in the fall), they'll have brand-spanking-new machines," said Gary LaPointe, director of technology services. He's in the process of taking bids for about 950 new computers to replace old, dated machines. In addition, he's looking into cost-effective ways to actually install those machines. LaPointe hopes to recycle the old computers by making them available to the community, possibly for trade or a small fee. The technology overhaul will also mean most VCRs will be replaced by DVD players. Two wireless computer carts, each with 16 machines, are being tested at Pierce Middle School. If they are deemed useful, the district could buy two carts for Thurston High School, and one at each elementary. New data projectors will be mounted in classrooms, media centers and computer labs for use with DVD players and VCRs. With new technology comes increased speed, according to LaPointe. Fiber optic cables will be stretched across South Redford. Thurston's Video Production classes will also receive new editing stations -- three of which are already in place -- as well as new laptops and portable recording gear. Trustee Tom Burnosky was pleased to hear about the installation of sound reinforcement systems, which amplify a teacher's voice in the classroom. He said the technology gives a teacher more command of a classroom. The district is also installing additional security video cameras and digital recorders at schools and the board office to enhance safety. Trustee Bruce Mazurowski asked LaPointe about his excitement level in instituting this range of new equipment. "You must be like a kid in a candy store," he said. LaPointe replied: "Right now my phone rings when things are going wrong. Hopefully it will ring with applause in the future." Following the bond, LaPointe said he'd like to create a technology plan to replace equipment every four years. scasola@hometownlife.com | (734) 953-2054 Originally published March 2, 2006 |
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| NFarquharson | Mar 5 2006, 08:33 AM Post #4 |
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From the Westland Observer: http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/.../603050559/1041 This just made it in today's edition: Board halts man's 'out of line' comments BY STEPHANIE ANGELYN CASOLA STAFF WRITER Tensions flared at the start of Monday's Livonia Board of Education meeting as trustees stopped one Livonia parent after he suggested Supt. Randy Liepa's private business should be made public. "If anyone questions what we're doing, how we're doing it or how we voted, they have every right in the world," said Dan Lessard, board president. "Unless you want to bring an attorney, don't question my integrity." He was responding to public comments made by Mark Wojcik, a parent who shared his disapproval of the Legacy Initiative during the committee meeting. He strayed from the topic of school closings and reorganization to suggest the district might be involved in some secretive real estate deals and said he thought Liepa's private business dealings should be disclosed publicly. At that point, trustee Lynda Scheel cut in: "This has nothing to do with the Legacy Initiative. I really want this to stop." Trustee Kevin Whitehead noted that the board policy requires a compelling reason in order to sell property. And Lessard said if the board was discussing a real estate issue, "you folks would be the first to know because it's gonna happen right here." Wojcik later described the board's reaction as becoming "very animated about the time that I discussed disclosure of any potential conflicts of interests for people in high positions." Lessard said Wojcik was "out of line." "I have no desire to violate the law and I resent your implications," Lessard said during the meeting. "I resent them highly. The superintendent should be incensed for you dragging his hobby (co-owning horse stables) into this." He called the incident a personal attack on Liepa. Whitehead agreed. "To let the discussion of erroneous information go on is of no benefit to the Legacy Initiative," he said. The board's vocal reaction was unusual, with board members interrupting audience comments during a meeting. On Wednesday, Wojcik said he was "deeply sorry" if he offended anyone. "If there was anyone personally attacked I would guess that it was the Livonia community at large since the unleashing of the Legacy Initiative," he added. Originally published March 5, 2006 |
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| Derek | Mar 5 2006, 08:42 AM Post #5 |
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Flat Rock Patterson to host schools meeting State Sen. Bruce Patterson, R-Canton Township, will host a town hall forum on education and school finance at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Flat Rock Community Center, 1 Maguire St. Senate Education Committee Chairman Wayne Kuipers and Sen. Ron Jelinek, K-12 school funding subcommittee chairman, will attend. * This may be a worthwhile meeting for folks to attend? |
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| NFarquharson | Mar 5 2006, 11:01 PM Post #6 |
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http://detnews.com/2005/specialreport/0502/27/A01-101701.htm Sister Josella leads a fourth-grade math class at St. Michael Catholic School in Livonia. Declining enrollment is forcing area Catholic schools to close, which hurts surrounding communities as well as the children who must relocate to public or private schools. Parochial Education Under Pressure Catholic schools fight to keep doors open Closures disrupt stable neighborhoods, threaten traditions that pass on values. By Kim Kozlowski / The Detroit News Elizabeth Conley / The Detroit News Stephanie Hemmitt moved her son to Ben Ross Academy in Warren after Our Lady Queen of Peace in Harper Woods closed last year. Metro Detroit Catholic schools, which educate thousands of children and bind many local neighborhoods, are struggling to survive. In the past two years, the Archdiocese of Detroit has closed 21 schools, the most in a similar period in three decades. The decline reduces parents' educational options, creates voids in neighborhoods schools once held together and makes it harder for the region's largest faith to pass on its traditions. And at a time when many desire a return to Christian values, the closures mean a loss of one of the country's strongest faith-based learning environments. Robert Zink, whose local Catholic school in Southfield closed last year, wonders how future generations will learn the values his family lives by as schools pull out of communities. "The Catholic Church has always taught us there is more to life than what we have here," said Zink, whose kids attended Catholic schools. "The last election showed people are more interested in morality, but we're further away from that morality than we've ever been." Come December, the Archdiocese of Detroit is expected to announce more closures or consolidations as it addresses years of declining enrollment brought on by shifting demographics, rising tuition and competition from private and public schools. When Catholic schools peaked during the 1960s, the archdiocese boasted a school system of nearly 200,000 students. Enrollment has since shrunk 79 percent to about 44,000 students. Once a concern primarily in urban areas, Catholic schools now are closing in such suburbs as Southfield, Dearborn Heights, Southgate, Madison Heights, Romulus and Harper Woods. "When you close a child's school, especially in the inner city, you close their world," said Monsignor Kenneth Velo, senior executive of a Catholic outreach program at DePaul University in Chicago. "These are islands of hope. They're crime-free. They're communities. They're faith-filled. And they provide an excellent education." Catholic schools are not just closing locally. Nationwide, 123 schools closed or consolidated in the U.S. Church last year. Some say they come at a crucial time when many seek a more values-oriented education. "Catholic schools really transmit values that are so needed in society," Velo said. "Values that center around morality, what's right, what's wrong, respect for others, personal responsibility and giving back to the community." Migrations drive closures Zink and his wife, Elna, are among many families who have watched as Catholic schools quietly closed after being a community focal point for decades. The neighborhood is less vibrant, Elna Zink said. "There used to be more activity," she said, adding that she misses the Catholic students she says were respectful and lovable. Since 1999, 30 Catholic schools in Metro Detroit have closed, while only two schools have opened, a trend mirrored nationally and driven in part by population trends. "Parishes and schools were built to accommodate the Catholic population, and that population is not necessarily staying put," said Michael Guerra, president of the National Catholic Education Association. When the Archdiocese of Detroit's population peaked in the 1960s, baby boomers packed Catholic schools to capacity. That same generation is having fewer children, and many parents today view faith as less relevant in education, said Bill Sander, author of "Catholic Schools: Private and Social Effects." "Younger Catholic parents are less concerned about sending their kids to a Catholic school," said Sander, an economics professor at DePaul University. "Some of the Catholic population moved to the suburbs, and the (public) schools in many of the suburbs are reasonably good." At the same time, the costs of a Catholic education have skyrocketed, driven in part by the church's inability to attract nuns who worked for low wages. Today, Catholic schools are taught primarily by lay teachers who must be paid competitive wages. In 1977, sending an elementary student cost 1.5 percent of the typical family's income. Today, it costs about 5 percent. The average tuition at a local Catholic elementary is $2,839 per year. For high school, it is $5,593. Kathy Tines and her husband had to budget an additional $1,000 to keep their daughter, Jill, in a Catholic school. When St. Veronica in Eastpointe closed last year, Tines transferred Jill to St. Isaac Jogues in St. Clair Shores. "I feel like Catholic schools are almost becoming an elitist type of institution because the cost is becoming exorbitant for middle-class families," said Tines, a dental hygienist. Schools are keystones As church schools close their doors, tight-knit communities often unravel. "St. Veronica was a cornerstone of Eastpointe," Tines said, "even for people who weren't Catholic." Communities that once built up around Catholic schools are now struggling for stability and focus, some experts say. "In certain neighborhoods, especially in urban areas, these (Catholic) schools provide an anchor for the neighborhood," said Sandra Yocum Mize, chairwoman of religious studies at the University of Dayton. "The school can provide services and support well beyond what occurs in the classroom. They are also part of a much larger network of resources and provide a place in which the value of students includes valuing their moral formation. Parents will have one less option for education." Gloria Kennedy and her husband built a home in Southfield in the 1960s because they wanted to worship at St. Michael Catholic Church. There were 43 homes on her block, with 100 kids, most of whom attended the parish school with her five children. "We had to add an addition onto the school," Kennedy said. "We had two grades for every classroom. It was fun." The Kennedys were active in the church and school. They went to sporting events, church fairs and fund-raisers. It was like a community center, said Kennedy, whose children are now grown and her husband deceased. When St. Michael closed its school because there weren't enough students to support it, Kennedy witnessed some of the parish community disappear. Many parishioners enrolled their children in Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic school in Farmington Hills, and to get in-parish tuition rates, they also joined its church. "That's the saddest part," she said. "I feel really bad about that." Nowadays, the community has changed. It's less active and there are very few Catholic school students, she said. Schools reinforce faith The decline of Catholic education could impact the future of the faith itself, some observers say. "People who went to Catholic schools tend to be more devout Catholics when they are adults. If children don't go to Catholic schools, they may not be as likely to maintain their commitment to the Catholic Church when they are older," said Sander, of DePaul. Parish schools formed not only to educate students, but to reinforce Catholic beliefs in young people, said Roman Godzak, the Detroit archdiocese's archivist. "This was how the faith replenished itself, with each new generation of students who attended their parish schools," Godzak said. Schools are examining issues such as enrollment patterns, recruitment, tuition and where students live in relation to the school. The process so far has not included any proposed number of institutions that will close or consolidate. But Sister Mary Gehringer, superintendent of the archdiocese's school system, said it's likely some city schools will be affected. Ned McGrath, spokesman for the archdiocese, said suburban schools would not escape closure. The bottom line, he said, is whether a school can deliver "the best academic program available in a faith-filled environment." The church should not abandon its faithful, in Detroit or anywhere else, but rather it should stand behind communities, said Kathy Chateau, a recruiter at St. Clare Montefalco schools in Grosse Pointe Park. "If we continue to pull out of the city -- schools, churches, services -- how will there be a Catholic presence?" she said. "Once we start measuring ourselves by the number of Catholics, the number of First Communion kids, we are lost as a church." Choosing a school Tips to fit your child's needs: • Know their needs. If your child learns best with a lot of structure, consider schools that offer more individualized attention and smaller class sizes. • Gather information. Ask for statistics on test scores, discipline and attendance. • Consider family values. A family's choice of schools will depend on its values, in addition to such aspects as transportation and tuition costs. Choosing a neighborhood public school regardless of other factors may be the best option for those with close ties to their community, while choosing a religious school may be best for others. You can reach Kim Kozlowski at (313) 222-2024 or kkozlowski@detnews.com. |
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