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Apparently the enrollment absolutely plummeted the last four years or so. Local density for families who want (and can afford) to send their daughters to the all-girls Catholic school is now very very low.
At the same time one has to wonder if it would have thrived if it had the academic reputation of (all boys, much larger, very successful) Chaminade.
In any case (the all-girls and Catholic) Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead is still doing well.
It's pretty much always been that way; boys private schools religious or secular usually don't have issues raising funds.
Where Catholic schools have gone co-ed from what one sees it's usually a formerly all boys primary, secondary or even higher education place that begins to admit girls/young women.
I lived in Oyster Bay Cove off Berry Hill Rd. on the way to Syosset. My best neighbor friend went there. She both loved and hated it. I hadn't thought of OLM for years. That's some expensive property.
/\ Given the location in Syosset, those 120 acres must be worth an absolute fortune. Of course the structures, etc. would complicate things if/when the Sisters of Mercy decide to sell. Fond memories of attending OLMA dances back in the day.
Not meaning to cause offense, but you're obviously not Catholic.
It isn't the 1940's, 1950's, 1960's or even 1970's any longer, world has changed and that includes for Catholics in USA.
Vatican II shook up the church in ways that are still being felt today.
There was a time when Catholics *had* to send their kids to religious institutions, use Catholic hospitals, etc.... That began to fall by wayside starting around post WWII years and picked up steam by 1970's.
First and foremost many Catholics packed up and moved to suburbs post WWII. Those areas offered good to excellent public primary and secondary education. This was something people were paying taxes already to support. So choice to send kids to private religious school became less unless parents wanted to do so for various reasons.
On other side of things days of brothers and sisters running schools, hospitals, etc... on bake sales and other charity began coming to an end by 1960's or so. Parents wanted and expected schools that had modern buildings, classrooms, highly educated and trained teachers/staff, etc... That all cost money. Real if isn't "The Bells of St. Mary's".
As Catholics packed up and moved in post war years it caused changes in parishes and archdioceses. Once stable Irish, Italian, German, Polish, etc.... parishes that filled masses and sent their (often large) families to Catholic schools began to dry up. Parishes did their best to keep schools open but where attendance of active contributing parishioners declines, where does the money come from?
In years following Vatican II numbers of professed religious (nuns, monks, brothers, sisters) and clergy (priests) began to fall off a cliff. Convents and monasteries were emptying out as religious left their orders, on other side numbers of new arrivals dropped like a stone. Orders that once boasted healthy numbers of "dedicated servants" to staff schools, hospitals and other ministries now had to hire lay persons.
Probably 1960's through 1970's was great last gasp of RC church and institutions in USA. By about 1980's things just started coming apart for host of reasons including those mentioned above.
Haven't even touched the near weekly litany of abuse scandals not just in USA but Europe and South America involving RC church and children/teens that make the news.
All of this. I am a senior and I went all through Catholic grade school for $0 dollars. 1959 - 67 My 4 year younger sister, may parents paid $60 for her 8th grade. We both went to Catholic HS. my 4 years cost $1000, my sister was $2500
The nuns and priests and brothers were essentially given a small stipend plus the rectory for the priests, convent for the nuns and friary for the brothers. The food was free and they had health care paid for by the diocese.
There are not many of them around now and even for those that are their food and healthcare and utilities have increased. Now add to that the number of lay teachers who have replaced them. It is not sustainable.
In the case of Chaminade and Kellenberg, the brothers are Jacks of all trades. They drive buses, do construction, and all sorts of handyman type jobs. Chaminade has a HUGE endowment fund, too.
To this day, I can credit the nuns with my reading skills and spelling skills and am delighted for the foundation they provided me.
All of this. I am a senior and I went all through Catholic grade school for $0 dollars. 1959 - 67 My 4 year younger sister, may parents paid $60 for her 8th grade. We both went to Catholic HS. my 4 years cost $1000, my sister was $2500
The nuns and priests and brothers were essentially given a small stipend plus the rectory for the priests, convent for the nuns and friary for the brothers. The food was free and they had health care paid for by the diocese.
There are not many of them around now and even for those that are their food and healthcare and utilities have increased. Now add to that the number of lay teachers who have replaced them. It is not sustainable.
In the case of Chaminade and Kellenberg, the brothers are Jacks of all trades. They drive buses, do construction, and all sorts of handyman type jobs. Chaminade has a HUGE endowment fund, too.
To this day, I can credit the nuns with my reading skills and spelling skills and am delighted for the foundation they provided me.
My family must have missed the free days LOL....my parents pulled everyone from Catholic school once my oldest sister graduated 8th grade - they were tired of paying for classes of 40+ kids.
Catholics schools nowadays are full of teachers who not only do not have a masters but often don't even have a degree in education. My sister lives in upstate NY, she has never taught a day in her life before last year when she landed a job teaching math to middle schoolers. Most of her colleagues don't have a teaching degree and she's even got a couple co workers who aren't Catholic which would have been unheard of not that long ago.
All of this. I am a senior and I went all through Catholic grade school for $0 dollars. 1959 - 67 My 4 year younger sister, may parents paid $60 for her 8th grade. We both went to Catholic HS. my 4 years cost $1000, my sister was $2500
The nuns and priests and brothers were essentially given a small stipend plus the rectory for the priests, convent for the nuns and friary for the brothers. The food was free and they had health care paid for by the diocese.
There are not many of them around now and even for those that are their food and healthcare and utilities have increased. Now add to that the number of lay teachers who have replaced them. It is not sustainable.
In the case of Chaminade and Kellenberg, the brothers are Jacks of all trades. They drive buses, do construction, and all sorts of handyman type jobs. Chaminade has a HUGE endowment fund, too.
To this day, I can credit the nuns with my reading skills and spelling skills and am delighted for the foundation they provided me.
I lived in Oyster Bay Cove off Berry Hill Rd. on the way to Syosset. My best neighbor friend went there. She both loved and hated it. I hadn't thought of OLM for years. That's some expensive property.
I was at her graduation.
Katy Perry is watching events play out and taking notes...
Well, that my friend would depend upon who you ask. I apparently had an "artistic" flair and would add curlicue's to as many letters as I could. I also don't cross my t and rather do a half cross to the right. I resisted the script Q and went for the print one with a fancy curlicue through it. I still have my report cards and often laugh as I have my fair share of "D" in handwriting.
Now that said, I do write notes to people and they always comment on my writing and say it is pretty but it can be hard to read. Apparently the nuns were right about my artistic flair. My husband will attest that it was my handwriting that cause him to call me because he could not read something I had written and needed clarification.
No AP classes, graduates end up at NYU, Pace, etc... but not a single alumni has made it into any of the Ivies in decades if ever? That's not so good.
Going by posts in linked thread sounds like OLM was sort of stuck in Catholic girls school education of 1960's or 1970's. Parents today want their girls to have every thing academic and extracurricular that any top high school offers.
No AP classes, graduates end up at NYU, Pace, etc... but not a single alumni has made it into any of the Ivies in decades if ever? That's not so good.
Going by posts in linked thread sounds like OLM was sort of stuck in Catholic girls school education of 1960's or 1970's. Parents today want their girls to have every thing academic and extracurricular that any top high school offers.
Yes, given the low number of parent/kids looking for the all girls Catholic school experience in the area nowadays, OLMA has seen a decline in applicants. So they were not particularly selective in terms of acceptances. And a precipitous decline in applicants (resulting in a precipitous decline in enrollment) is why it is closing.
Never was a big place for those looking to go secular Ivy. Nor would I expect it to be. As I recall, and this is 70’s -80’s, top kids tended towards the top Catholic colleges. With exceptions (of course).
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