DEVELOPMENT

I want to take this opportunity to welcome your family to our family – the Springfield Catholic Schools family. It is our hope and prayer that the experience you and your children have in our elementary or secondary schools is one filled with excellent education, real enrichment and a sense of caring and compassion that springs from our Faith, the bedrock of our educational system. Our consolidated Catholic school system is comprised of four elementary schools (St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is now in its third year with just Kindergarten through Second Grade, but in a few short years, it will be a full-fledged K-8 Elementary) and one High School.

The very reason that we have a Development Office is that we are a SYSTEM, not just five independent Parish Schools. Our job is to support – financially, through community relations and in any way we can -- all the schools in our System. As an historical note, Catholic education in Springfield began in 1870, and in 2004, we celebrated our 30th Anniversary as a Consolidated Catholic School System. We now serve some 1,350 students with a remarkable success rate in terms of academic, athletic and extra-curricular achievement. Over 98% of our High School graduates go on to higher education.

Now, when people hear the word “Development,” they automatically think “FUNDRAISING!!!” I have to admit that is a major part of our mission in this office, as well as in each individual school. Former Harvard President Derek Bok once said, “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” And so your children’s individual classes, Home and School Associations, booster clubs, and other interest groups carry out any number of fundraising activities throughout the school year – and that is true in every Catholic school or school system in the nation, believe me! But each year here at the Central Office, we get quite a few questions regarding just exactly what the “system-wide” activities are -- enough questions that we thought it would be worth our time and yours to share a brief look at just what we’re up to and why! We hope this will be useful to families new to our School System, and we suspect that there is even some occasional confusion among families that have been with us for years. So here is a glimpse at what’s developing in the Development area of your school system.