Saint Aloysius Catholic Elementary School in Pottstown (Montgomery County) will relocate its campus to the former Saint Pius X High School building with the beginning with the 2017-2018 academic year.
Father Joseph Maloney, Pastor of Saint Aloysius Parish, made the formal announcement Friday at a regularly scheduled Mass for the school community.
“I am amazed. I am overjoyed. I am humbled and I am so very proud to be able to announce that Saint Aloysius Parish is about to relocate our beloved school to the campus of the former Saint Pius X High School,” said Father Maloney. “It means that the members of our parish community have joined together to make a concrete statement in support of Catholic schools. But mostly, it means that we are doing everything we can to bring the Good News of Jesus to as many children as we can so that they will have the best opportunity possible to become the saints they are called to be.”
Currently, Saint Aloysius has an enrollment of 238 students in grades Kindergarten-8. The larger campus provides a separate gymnasium and cafeteria, sports fields and stadium, a stage to expand the school’s Fine Arts program, grassy fields for recess, and more parking. The existing science laboratory will allow the school to expand its Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Program (STEM). Prior to today’s announcement, the school received a two year grant for a new STEM curriculum from Project Lead the Way, a non-profit which develops STEM curriculum for K-12 students across the nation. Existing amenities within the new campus will allow for maximum implementation of the curriculum and the best possible use of grant funding.
The parish recently surpassed its fundraising goal of over $500,000 for necessary repairs to the former Saint Pius X High School building thanks to many parishioners, community members and an anonymous benefactor who provided a substantial gift.
“In a time when many schools are facing challenges, we are working proactively to provide for the future,” said Mrs. Sarah Kerins, Principal of Saint Aloysius School. “We are showing the world that Catholic schools matter; that we are alive, that we are thriving and that the Catholic community believes that an education rooted in faith is a worthwhile investment. Saint Aloysius Parish School will continue to be a beacon of light for the Pottstown area.”
The former Saint Pius X High School building is located approximately two miles away from the current campus. Saint Pius X High School was part of the Archdiocesan high school system from 1953 until its closure in 2010 when the new Pope John Paul II High School was opened. The former school building will be leased by Saint Aloysius for a nominal fee.
The current Saint Aloysius School building will be vacated at the end of the current academic year is the property of Saint Aloysius Parish. The future disposition of this building has not been determined at this time. It will be decided by the pastor of Saint Aloysius Parish in consultation with his parish pastoral and finance councils in a manner consistent with providing for continued parish viability and sustainability.
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