JAMAICA — Champions for Catholic education got the urging of administrators and Bishop Robert Brennan on Sept. 30 to form a “community of collaboration” to bolster enrollments at all Catholic schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
The venue for the fourth annual Catholic Schools Summit was D’Angelo Hall on the campus of St. John’s University. The audience consisted of principals, assistant principals, board chairs, pastors, and administrators from Catholic schools in Brooklyn and Queens.
Deacon Kevin McCormack, superintendent of Catholic schools for the diocese, and Joan McMaster, deputy superintendent, described how everyone working to bolster enrollment across the board will benefit all schools throughout the diocese.
They acknowledged that this requires a different mindset for school officials to focus not only on their schools, but also on the others. Deacon McCormack added that promoting Catholic education should be a priority for everyone to help reverse declining enrollments.
“We need to have a business mindset,” he said. “Here’s the reality. We have 900 less souls in our schools than we did last year.”
Deacon McCormack further explained that school enrollments in the diocese have declined by an average of 3-4% every year for the past 20 years. “There’s nothing new here,” he said. “It’s slower than it has been. But we’re still losing kids. We have to turn that around.”
After dinner, Associate Superintendent John O’Brien led discussions on how everyone can help one another build upon three key selling points: Catholic identity, academics, and enrollment.
Katie Keville, assistant director of enrollment management, said officials developed this cooperative strategy after observing some schools close and then watching administrators of neighboring schools expect to absorb the displaced students.
“Now that we’re saying is, ‘Actually, if we build everybody up, people are gaining more instead,’ ” Keville said. “If you strengthen that school next to you, you both get stronger and Catholic schools get stronger.”
When asked what that would look like, Keville gave the example of schools sharing resources. For example, she explained, “if one school is very good at social media and another one struggles, it comes to sharing tips and tricks. And schools that don’t have a lot of money — maybe they can share a social media person.”
Two neighboring schools already have something similar, confirmed their principals during an idea-sharing session near the summit’s conclusion.
Midwood Catholic Academy Principal Nicole Freiwald and Good Shepherd Catholic Academy Principal Tim Dillon said they share an English-Language Arts “coach” — Rachelle Caiazzo. They said she does an excellent job for both schools.
Bishop Brennan praised the strategy.
“We’ve got something so valuable to share,” he said. “Part of Catholic identity is excellence.
“We are all about forming young men and women who’ve encountered Jesus Christ, who will look at the world in a different way, see brighter possibilities, and make brighter possibilities for others.”