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Posted February 2, 2008

Letters: Catholic students praise their schools
Catholic schools are becoming more of a treasure because two schools have heard that they are closing at the end of the school year. It is a big blow to the Wisconsin Rapids Area Catholic Schools. Both schools have been teaching kids about their Catholic faith for over 200 years combined. There is also a reconfiguration within the WRACS school system.

With the reconfiguration, Our Lady Queen of Heaven instead of having first through third grade they will have kindergarten through second grade; at St. Vincent they now have third through fifth grade there, and at Assumption Middle School they will have sixth grade through eighth grade, and Assumption High School will stay the same. With the reconfiguration some of the teachers will have to be cut. St. Lawrence will become an early childhood care and a 4k school that is run by the public schools.

The two schools that will be closing have been teaching kids about their faith and making them understand God a little more at a time. They are very sad that they are closing because they have had a history of teaching kids for over 200 years combined in their community.

The school closing is very sad, but it will help the WRACS system because the two schools were taking too much money to run. The reconfiguration is going to have the grades in an alignment that best suits the system.

Brad Birkhauser
Assumption Middle School
Eighth grade
Wisconsin Rapids

Catholic school education is a treasure to me in my community because God comes first. God created all of us, and he gave us many gifts because he loves us. The least we can do to worship and honor God is to learn about Him and get to know Him better. Catholic schools are a great way to do all of those things.
From kindergarten to this year of eighth grade, I have been in Catholic schools. I have been in three different schools within this system. All of the schools have great education, fantastic teachers, and of course the fact that all students get to learn about God. Every day students get to go into a classroom and learn about God. This isn’t just for a few minutes either, this is a full class time.
The idea of closing two schools that give students the chance to learn about God is very sad — these schools that many people have gone to over the 200 combined years that they’ve been open. If it has been open that long, it must have been trusted by many people. Schools like Sacred Heart and St. Philip’s are important to all who want a Catholic education in the cities of Rudolph and Nekoosa.
Catholic schools are important to me and many others. It is also a very good thing in our Catholic religion. The schools give you a strong feeling that you are getting a good education. I know I am.
Nathan Skifton
Assumption Middle School
Eighth grade
Nekoosa

Catholic education is a treasure in our community. Elizabeth Ann Seton started the very first Catholic girls school in Maryland. There have been Catholic schools in this area for 100 years now, but those schools are now closing so we can improve our schools.
We are closing two of our schools for the better of our community. It will make Catholic schools stronger and help them stay around in Wisconsin Rapids. The number of students attending Catholic schools has decreased in the last several years. If the numbers of students at Catholic schools decrease too much we won’t have the choice of going to a Catholic school at all. We would not have the opportunities to get the great education a Catholic school offers. Elizabeth Ann Seton opened the very first girls Catholic school in 1810. This is a great accomplishment. That inspired the whole world to open a girls Catholic school. This is why we have Catholic schools in our area. Catholic schools give a great education especially for religion.
This is why Catholic education is a treasure in our community. Catholic schools give great opportunities. I don’t know what I would do without Catholic schools in my life.
Sierra Kniprath
Assumption Middle School
Seventh grade
Wisconsin Rapids

Catholic education is very important to every Catholic person in Wisconsin Rapids, Rudolph, and Nekoosa. The closing of these two schools at the end of the school year, Sacred Heart and St. Phillip’s, is very sad since the two schools have been around a hundred years apiece.
Even though neither of the parishes are mine, I am still sad for those people who do attend church at those two schools. Sacred heart is one of the best schools in WRACS for teaching the Catholic faith. This is an important school in Nekoosa because it is the only Catholic school the city has. That’s one of the reasons we all don’t want to see it close.
St. Philip’s is also one of the best schools in WRACS for teaching the Catholic faith. This school is like Sacred Heart, very special to the community and the only Catholic school in Rudolph. Both schools are closing from lack of attendance at the schools. St. Philip’s is a great school that has been around for a long time. My grandparents attended that school.
I am a proud member of the Catholic faith. I belong to the parish of Our Lady Queen of Heaven. I go to church every week and I even used to serve. The students of these two schools will be sent around to the remaining schools in WRACS. We hope that the teachers of the schools find new jobs in WRACS.
Fred Olson
Assumption Middle School
Eighth grade
Rome

Why are Catholic schools a treasure in our community? Catholic schools are a treasure because they allow young men and women to go and learn about their faith. Kids that go to CCD can’t learn as much as kids that go to a Catholic school because kids at Catholic schools go to religion every day and get time to really appreciate what happened. The kids at CCD only go a few times a week and have to learn about it a lot faster so they don’t get time to absorb the information and to really understand it.
Catholic schools are also great for college-bound students because if they are good enough and they can handle the work, they can go on into advanced classes. At the halfway mark of the year and at the very end of the year we have to take final exams in every class. This way we know what it will be like in college and when we go it won’t be a surprise when we get big tests.
So in summary, Catholic schools are great for anyone that wants to learn about their faith, or anyone that just wants to be a better person on the inside. If you want to prepare for college, then a Catholic school is a good place because your teachers will push you, but they won’t leave you behind. Everyone should be able to go to a Catholic school if they want to.
Aaron Mallek
Assumption Middle School
Eighth grade
Wisconsin Rapids

Catholic Schools are a treasure to the community because they have more discipline and with more discipline you are able to keep yourself out of trouble. It can be helpful because when you go to a Catholic school it means that you learn more about God. To learn about God would be great because you get to learn about how He created us and the world. It can also be a treasure because when you have or live by a Catholic school in your community it is nice. When you live in a community by a church it is fun because they always hold fun events for the community. One of the funniest things is when they hold bingo or game night. They sound boring, but are very fun. Lots of people in the world are mean and I believe that if they were to go to church or a Catholic school, they could change a lot. That’s why I am saying thanks for Catholic schools everywhere.
John Griffin
Assumption Middle School
Seventh grade
Wisconsin Rapids

Catholic schools are a treasure in our community. Why, because it is a great place for Catholics to join together. There we as Catholics can talk and bring up our faith and not have to worry about offending others. It does not seem like much but it has happened before.
That’s not all Catholic schools are about. No, we have many great things ranging from socials to Mass. At these events not only do we get to be with our friends but we also get to be with God. Most importantly we have a great time. A great thing about some of the events is that anyone can come.
A Catholic school is also a great place where we can share in religious activities such as the living rosary or golden Mass. Or other things like Lent, Advent, and Christmas Mass. There are also plenty of other things. We always have something going on at school.
Catholic schools are also good for the community because there are many Catholics in the world. Many people in the United States want to send their children to a Catholic school. With all the many different types of people in Catholic schools, it makes Catholic schools a great place to meet people and make new friends.
Samuel Elmhorst
Assumption Middle School
Seventh grade
Wisconsin Rapids