PROVIDENCE — The Diocese of Providence’s Catholic schools opened this year with a number of new administrators and despite Rhode Island’s high unemployment rate, enrollment remains steady.
This school year, the Diocese will provide more than $1.5 million in tuition assistance for families seeking a Catholic education for their children.
Through resources from the Catholic Charity Appeal, Frances Ward Fund, Anchor of Hope and other endowments, the Diocese of Providence will award $1,570,850 in tuition assistance to those families in the greatest of need - an increase of $162,460 over last year. Despite the state’s second highest percentage of unemployed in the country coupled with the housing crisis, total preliminary enrollment is 13,102, down only slightly from 13,418 at the end of the last academic year with 18 schools reporting an enrollment increase.
“Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Providence continue to thrive as they provide a strong, faith-based education to more than 13,000 students,” said Bishop Thomas J. Tobin. “Through dedicated and caring pastors, administrators and teachers, Catholic Schools are helping to prepare our community’s next generation of leaders.”
Nine Catholic schools opened their doors with new leadership. Two new presidents, two new secondary principals and five new elementary principals, each with an exceptional background in education and with experience and credentials in teaching and administration, were welcomed into the system this year.
Pope Benedict XVI has declared that the period of October 11, 2012 through November 24, 2013 as the ‘Year of Faith.’ During this year, Catholic schools are encouraged to provide a number of unique opportunities for faculty, students and their families to deepen their faith.
This year all Catholic schools will implement the R.I. Safe School Act. This anti-bullying policy mandates reporting and investigative actions and defines bullying in its many forms, including cyber-bullying. Clearance and criminal background checks for school employees and volunteers will continue as some of the most stringent in the state. Schools will continue their Safe Environment training to educate all about the protection of children.
“Rhode Island’s economy has created a number of challenges, not only for those seeking employment, but also for parents who wish to provide a Catholic education to their children,” said Superintendent Daniel J. Ferris.
“Despite those challenges, it is impressive to witness the number of parents who are willing to make such remarkable sacrifices to send their children to Catholic schools. It speaks well to the quality and mission of schools in the Diocese of Providence.”
In an effort to provide for years of continued service to students and their families, some schools embarked upon aggressive renovation projects during the summer. Bishop Hendricken High School renovated its chapel renaming the worship space after Blessed Edmund Rice, founder of the Christian Brothers who once operated the school. Mount St. Charles Academy in Woonsocket installed interactive smart boards in classrooms to allow for more effective classroom instruction and made a number of energy-efficient renovations such as converting from oil heat to gas.
