Parents mobilize to save Ascension of Our Lord School

Above: Ascension of Our Lord School is located at 1809 Greenwood Drive in LaPlace. (Photo by Frank J. Methe, Clarion Herald)

By BETH DONZE
Clarion Herald

An organized effort to keep Ascension of Our Lord School open through the 2024-25 academic year and beyond is being spearheaded by a group of nearly 100 parents at the LaPlace elementary school.

The campaign, called “Save Our School,” was launched after school parents held an emergency meeting Oct. 23 to discuss ways to raise $500,000 to fund its insurance deductible, deferred maintenance and a portion of its operating costs.

The Save Our School effort comes on the heels of an Oct. 13 announcement from Dr. RaeNell Houston, superintendent of the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ Department of Catholic Education and Faith Formation (DCEFF), that Ascension of Our Lord would be closing at the end of the current academic year due to low enrollment and rising operational and insurance costs.

Houston’s announcement said the school’s enrollment had dipped to approximately 130 students in the 2022-23 school year, and while it had rebounded this year to about 160 students, insurance costs and repairs to the school building from damage in Hurricane Ida were too significant to overcome.

“At the end of the day, God answers prayers, and right now, we’re throwing up a Hail Mary to him and hoping that he can come through for us, that we can save our school,” said Nia Sanders, Save Our School’s leader and president of Ascension of Our Lord’s Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO).

“I feel like if we get out there and let the people know about the great things that are going on at our school – and if we get enough contributions from companies, along with the fundraising efforts that we are hitting the ground with – I feel we have a real opportunity to save our children’s school,” she said.

Action plan devised

Sanders said school families were shocked and angered when they received news of the planned closure, having understood from a meeting held over the summer that a decision on any future reorganization of Catholic elementary schools in St. John the Baptist civil parish would not be made until February of next year.

“We didn’t get a heads-up about (the decision to close),” Sanders said. She said that while parents were aware that the archdiocese was considering various options to merge schools and/or implement a “micro-school” model for schools with lower enrollments, all-out closures were not mentioned at that time.

“We came away from that (summer) meeting thinking, ‘OK, we’re going to work on some different things.’ However, the archdiocese came out in October with a decision that was totally against what they said they were going to do – they decided to close Ascension of Our Lord and not merge us with any other school,” Sanders said. “They didn’t give us a chance to fight for our school.”

Immediately after the Oct. 13 announcement, school parents began reaching out to the DCEFF to register their alarm and give testimonials on their school’s value to families and the wider community. In follow up meetings with Houston, parents learned that although Ascension of Our Lord School was able to cover most of the costs related to its day-to-day operations, the insurance deductible could no longer be paid by the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

With the blessing of DCEFF and Ascension of Lord’s Pastoral Council, school supporters were told that if they could raise $500,000 by the end of February to fund the school’s insurance deductible, deferred maintenance and operating costs for June through October, the school could remain open. Money for students on the Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP) comes in at the end of October.

Fundraising events

“I’m proud to say that we have formed a 12-person committee of people who are dedicated to finding fundraisers, figuring out the logistics of them and getting them started,” Sanders said, noting that the committee and parents are soliciting local industries and businesses for donations both large and small.

In addition, four fundraising events have been planned to date:

• An online popcorn sale, done in coordination with the Double Good Popcorn company, is set for Nov. 6-10. Access the sale by downloading the “Double Good” virtual fundraising app and typing in the event code of JZB JGV.

• On Nov. 18 from noon to 5 p.m, the school, located at 1809 Greenwood Drive, will host “Fiesta Latina,” an event organized by Ascension of Our Lord’s large contingent of Hispanic families. Entry will be free and open to the public, with funds generated through sales of food and ticketed activities.

• A “Christmas Pop-Up Shop” on Dec. 2 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on school grounds will feature sales of holiday crafts, gifts and food from local vendors. Vendors will keep their sales proceeds but will pay a $125 booth rental fee that includes one table and two chairs provided by the school. Interested vendors can register for the shop by calling Necohle Stanton at (985) 664-7131, or emailing [email protected].

• On the same date of Dec. 2, Ascension of Our Lord School will host “Breakfast with Santa” from 9 to 11 a.m. in Don Bosco Hall. The $12 entry fee includes breakfast and a digital photo with Santa Claus.

Nurturing campus

Making news of the school’s closure feel particularly abrupt, Sanders said, was the fact that Ascension of Our Lord has seen slow but steady increases in its enrollment – to its current roster of 161 children in grades preK2 through 7 – after years of declining numbers. She said the school is a culturally diverse and welcoming “home away from home” for students and their families.

“The majority of the parents at our school are your everyday working moms and dads who are just trying to get their kids a safe place to go to school in a nurturing environment where they can get a good education. Our school produces children who are smart and well rounded,” Sanders said, pointing to her own son, an honor-roll sophomore at St. Charles Catholic High School, a sixth-grade son and a third-grade daughter.

Sanders attributes Ascension of Our Lord’s success to its dedicated faculty and staff, whom she says have become “part of our family,” and to the excellent leadership of first-year principal Addie Melancon, who “has breathed life” into the school.

“I don’t have to worry about my children when they go to school. (The teachers) take care of them like I would take care of them,” Sanders said. “This school has been a fixture in our community for over 43 years, so we would love to see it continue to thrive.”

Signs of vibrancy

Sanders said another indication of Ascension of Our Lord School’s health is its recent completion of a $3.2 million renovation after suffering severe damage in Hurricane Ida in 2021. That overhaul included new roofing, ceilings, floors, fire-safe doors, A/C units, kitchen and school appliances, as well as repairs to Don Bosco Hall, which hosts the school’s lunch program and annual Nativity play.

The school’s expansive soccer and baseball fields were also restored and are hosting athletic events once again, Sanders said. She cited growing interest in girls’ volleyball, boys’ basketball and boys’ flag football, the latter of which boasts both junior and senior varsity teams; a cheerleading pep squad of 19 girls in grades 1-3; and a Young Writers’ Club.

Ascension of Our Lord Church, which sustained hurricane damage to its roof, stained-glass windows, pews and other features, began its own renovations in July and hopes to reopen by early 2024, said Father Cyril Buyeera, pastor. In the meantime, parishioners have been gathering  in the Savio Center for Mass.

Friendly students

Calling the school “a great asset” that would be sorely missed by the parish and school community if it were to close, Father Buyeera said he is continually uplifted by seeing the excitement of students at weekly school Masses and other school activities.

“One only needs to be around during drop-off to see how kids jump out of the cars and begin hugging each other,” Father Buyeera said. “We want to utilize every possible good avenue available to us to raise the required funds to keep the school going. The bond between teachers, parents and students is exceptional! Secondly, the school is one of the avenues for sharing our Catholic faith and values with the young generation as we contribute to the formation of students who are academically solid, faith filled and kind citizens. Finally, the school provides a good quality, Catholic education to children who would otherwise find it difficult to access it.”

Acknowledging that raising funds will be “a big challenge” in a community still recovering from Hurricane Ida, Father Buyeera said he is buoyed by the school’s can-do spirit.

“The rising costs of insurance, coupled with the deductible for both the school and the church, is an added hurdle,” he said. “I am therefore appealing to all who value Catholic education and those who care about the underprivileged to join us in prayer and fundraising for the school to remain open. Ascension of Our Lord is a beacon of hope for many, and I am extremely grateful to the archdiocese for giving us the opportunity to raise funds.”

The group requests that all social media postings of support include the hashtag #crusaderstrong. The school welcomes those who would like to tour the campus to contact the school office at (985) 652-4532. Questions about how to solicit donations for the effort or make individual or group donations can also be directed to this phone number or by emailing Nia Sanders at [email protected].

[email protected]