The Cambridge Matignon School to close in June
CAMBRIDGE - The crushing announcement for The Cambridge Matignon School community came after school on Tuesday. These last weeks of the year will be the final chapter in the Catholic high school's more than 75-year history.
In an email, board of trustees President Marc-Anthony Hourihan cited "insurmountable financial pressures" at the school.
"The way we all found out in an email was crazy to me. Especially the juniors who are just about to reach their senior year. Now they have to separate to go to different schools. It's awful," said senior Kristina Gallitano.
Those juniors - a class whose high school experience has had no shortage of change and uncertainty.
"Their freshman year was in the midst of COVID. They came into school with all these new people that could barely make friends or get close to each other. Now their senior year is going to get stripped away from them," said senior Daniella Oliveira of the junior class.
Matignon students join many other local Catholic families scrambling to come up with a plan for September. Saint Joseph Prep Boston, Mount Alvernia in Newton, and Bishop Connolly in Fall River have all announced this school year is the last.
"It's kind of hard because it's so close to the end of the school year and the beginning of our junior year next year. We're still trying to figure it out but it's very stressful," said sophomore Xena Wine.
As underclassmen struggle to imagine graduating elsewhere, seniors are heartbroken they can never come back.
"Before coming to Matignon it was my dream school. I've always wanted to be here," said sophomore Keyshla Perez.
"It felt like home to me. I just always felt like I belonged here," Oliveira added.