OLV School Closing

April 2021

2021 included a number of hardships but the announcement that Our Lady of Victory school would be closing at the end of the school year, landed like a body blow. We didn't see it coming. enrollment had increased over the year before. There hadn't been recent talk of closing.  There hadn't been any fundraising or a push for enrollment. Jim and I had decided that OLV was a good fit for Johanna. we saw the benefit of Catholic school over our public system and decided we could sacrifice and increase our income enough to make tuition possible. We happily reregistered when the enrollment opened. 

Catholic Review our-lady-of-victory-school-to-close-at-the-end-of-2020-21-academic-year

Friday after school, April 16th, we got an email from the school notifying us of the closure and then the principal called us individually. I was grateful for the phone call. And so sad.

We were told that the school was in debt, a lot of debt. 20 years ago it was in good financial shape but I suspect that there were some years of financial mismanagement, a recession and a lack of fundraising and promotion. The Archdiocese decided it was just too much.

Right before the pandemic shut down OLV had gotten a new pastor and a new school Principal. Things were headed in a positive direction, both of them brought new dedication and focus. The pandemic hit and everything paused. They lead us through a difficult transition and did it well. Enrollment in the school went up during the pandemic and enrollment was up for the upcoming year. But not enough. I feel like Fr Bill and Principal Hellem never got a chance.

I was also disappointed that as a parent of the school I was never asked to promote the school and was never given the tools to do it. I would have been happy to post something online, or put up a yard sign. It was never asked of me. Previous years referral bonuses were advertised, but there was nothing this year. We were never given the chance to save the school. I would have tried.

Losing this great place for Johanna was one piece of the disappointment, but this was also personal. I went to middle school at OLV. My siblings all went to middle school at OLV.  It is hard to see a place that provided a great education and fostered many great friendships to be closed. It is a personal loss.

Losing the Our Lady of Victory school is also a loss for the parish. The school injected energy into OLV parish, new families and activities. It also means that the parish now has the financial burden of the upkeep of the school buildings and the push to find someone to lease it. I worry for the parish.

I am disappointed in the Archdiocese's decision to close OLV school. It is a loss to Johanna, to me personally, to our family, and to the OLV community.