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BR Catholic Schools Meet Demand of Displaced Students, Enroll 3,600

Posted on: Friday, 16 September 2005, 18:00 CDT

More than 3,600 New Orleans-area students have enrolled in 32 Catholic schools in eight parishes in the greater Baton Rouge area, Sister Mary Michaeline, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Baton Rouge, said Thursday.

The Catholic schools in the area appear to have handled most of the demand, although the most popular schools filled up quickly and have waiting lists.

The Diocese of Baton Rouge has processed more than 7,300 applications.

There are duplications because some parents applied at more than one school.

The Archdiocese of New Orleans had more than 50,000 students at 108 schools before Hurricane Katrina swept through.

The reopening of some of those schools is slowing Baton Rouge Catholic school enrollments.

Schools in St. Charles and St. John the Baptist parishes are back in session. Meanwhile, Catholic schools in St. Tammany Parish are reopening next week and Jefferson Parish is following suit in early October.

Michaeline said five Baton Rouge-area elementary Catholic schools still have at least some openings: Our Lady of Mercy, St. Isidore, St. Francis Xavier, St. Gerard Majella and St. Louis King of France schools.

The Rev. William Maestri, superintendent of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, said Thursday that additional temporary classrooms are being set up next week at St. George Elementary, but not at four other schools he had announced also would have new classrooms. So far there's no need, he said.

The other schools are St. Jude, St. Teresa, and St. Isidore in Baker, while St. Pius, a closed elementary school, might reopen part of its closed north Baton Rouge campus.

"We think we have a fairly good handle on Baton Rouge," Maestri said.

Meanwhile, as of Thursday, St. Michael the Archangel High School, which agreed to start a night school, has registered only 400 out of a possible 1,000 new students. Classes start Monday for 12th grade, on Tuesday for 11th grade, and so on.

The night school will cater to students in grades eight through 12. Catholic school officials ask parents who are still interested in registering at St. Michae to do so after 4 p.m. Monday.

The lower than expected enrollments has allowed St. Joseph's Academy to hold off on opening a night school like St. Michael has.

Communications Director Mindy Averitt said the school was prepared to add a second schedule, but the archdiocese said earlier this week that was not necessary.

Source: Advocate; Baton Rouge, La.

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