A Catholic School in Fishtown Prepares To Celebrate 125 Years, Despite Loss of Adjacent Church
By community affairs reporter Cherri Gregg
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It's been nearly a year since the Archdiocese of Philadelphia closed St. Laurentius Church, in Fishtown. But through hard work and grit, its namesake school, next door, is still open and ready to celebrate its 125th anniversary.
St. Laurentius Catholic School began in the late 1800s, in a blacksmith's shop, with just fifty students. And 125 years later, despite some bumps and bruises and two near closures, St. Laurentius School is still going strong.
"We know what a gem it is," says Elaine McKnight (below). "We find ways to make this work." She graduated from St. Laurentius School and then came back as a teacher. Today, she is principal.
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"I may be principal, but that doesn't mean I make every single decision," she notes. "Our parents are involved, our teachers are involved, our parish is involved, our students are involved."
The school has an at-home feel, with colorful walls, artwork hanging from the ceilings, and teachers who join students on the floor to work on math problems.
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The 219 students in the school, from pre-K three-year-olds through eighth graders, occupy every nook and cranny of the century-old building on East Berks Street. And, McKnight says, they're hoping to expand. Step one was opening up a pre-K class for three-year-olds this past year.
"I want more room for services," says McKnight, who also works as the Spanish teacher. "I would really love to see this become the premier school in the city."
Fourteen-year-old Melinda Morris thinks it already is.
"I literally wake up and say, like, I have to go to school," she tells KYW Newsradio. Morris started at St. Laurentius in kindergarten and she will be graduating from its eighth grade this coming May. She recalls that she was in fifth grade when the school nearly closed, and she was on the front lines fighting to save it.
"It taught me to really stand up for what we believe in and to always stick together as a community for what you believe in" says Morris. She's looking forward to high school, but says she won't ever be very far from St. Laurentius. "I'm looking forward to coming back and helping out."
"I love this school," adds Joette Tomczak, who has two children enrolled in the school. "We will work to make sure it's here 125 years from now."
Parents, teachers, and students will be celebrating the milestone anniversary with events over the next few months. Details are at stlaurentius.org.