GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Saint Stephen School in Grand Rapids announced Friday they will be closing down for good after they wrap up their summer camp on August 10.
In a letter posted on the Saint Stephen website Pastor Scott Nolan addressed the issues the school has been facing which led to the decision to close. He stated they've had a decline in enrollment over the last fifteen years, but especially so in the last five.
"We brought in new school leadership, launched a new, vibrant educational vision, and rebranded our marketing in an effort to keep the parish school open," Nolan said. "We are so grateful to past and current parishioners whose generosity allowed us to undertake this new model while remaining in a solid cash position through this time. However, allocating this amount of financial resources to the school, year over year, is not sustainable."
The letter also stated that at the end of June the school realized that a handful of families had chosen to switch to other schools, and four of their ten staff members decided to not return in the fall.
"I want to thank you for bringing forth creative solutions and strategies to keep the school open. We have discerned your ideas. Unfortunately, the combined challenges of enrollment, staffing and finances will preclude our ability to maintain a parish school moving forward," said Nolan.
The school was began in 1925 by the first pastor of Saint Stephen, Fr. Farquharson with the founding parish families and the teaching work of the Dominican Sisters. The school was a presence in the East Grand Rapids and Ottawa Hills neighborhoods for almost 100 years. The letter expressed gratitude to all those who had attended and supported the school over that time.
Nolan said that in the coming weeks the school will be planning a private opportunity for currently enrolled families to come together.
"We are personally assisting them through this transition. There will also be an opportunity for the broader community to grieve the school’s closing," he said.
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