The Next 50 Years Committee Blog

Father Coine's Letter

2009-11-12T10:50:00.001-05:00

For everyone who wasn't able to get a copy of Fr. Coine's letter about the high school staying open, you can read it here.
SSPP Letter from Father Coine

SSPP High School will remain open!

2009-11-08T16:59:00.001-05:00

We are delighted that the parish has kept the school open. We are grateful for the overwhelming support from the parish community and look forward to building upon that support. The Next Fifty Years Committee is continuing to develop plans for the revitalized high school, including building plans and governance models. We encourage everyone from the Mid-Shore community to take part in this exciting project. Our children and children of generations yet to come represent the future, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for all of us to truly make a difference and positively affect that future. Saints Peter and Paul High School is open, and with your help, will continue to graduate students strong in mind, body, and spirit for years to come. Please consider this week writing a letter or sending an email to the faculty and staff of our high school. They need to know our community's ongoing and unfaltering commitment to rebuilding and revitalizing the school and recruiting a robust and energetic freshman class. We are open to dialogue and input from them and we support them as individuals and professionals - Click Here - for faculty and staff email addresses and contact information or you can mail to:

Saints Peter and Paul High School
900 High Street
c/o (Faculty or Staff member to whom letter applies or simply to Mr. Jim Nemeth)
Easton MD 21601 Matthew Fitzgerald - Co ChairmanGeorge Hatcher - Co ChairmanThe Next 50 Years Committee "With God, all things are possible" ~ Matthew 19:26

Last Night's Meeting

2009-11-04T06:42:00.001-05:00

Many thanks to Saints Peter and Paul Parish, school alumni and to the Mid-Shore Community for your enthusiasm and support in laying the foundation for Catholic high school education in the Mid-Shore region for the next 50 years.

We had a positive meeting with Father Coine yesterday. We thank Father Coine, Pastoral Council President Dan Tanner, Finance Committee Chairman Scott Wood, Deacon Taylor, and Superintendent of Education for the Wilmington Diocese, Catherine Weaver, for the constructive and open dialogue.

Father Coine understands the time sensitivity of the situation in order to recruit a robust 2010-2011 Freshman Class. He assured us that an announcement would be made at this weekend's Parish Mass. Again, we are so grateful for everyone's combined efforts, and we ask all to keep the faith.

Sincerely,

Matthew Fitzgerald
George Hatcher

“With God, all things are possible” ~ Matthew 19:26

Assuring the Promise

2009-10-28T09:31:00.004-04:00

For everyone who hasn't had a chance to read the report from the High School Advisory Committee, it is now easily available for a small fee. Here's the message from Betsy Greaney:

Copies of the High School Advisory Committee’s comprehensive report “Assuring the Promise. ..A Case Statement & Feasibility Study for Saints Peter and Paul High School and The Future of Catholic Secondary Education for Maryland’s Mid-Shore” that was presented to the Diocese earlier this year is available at Mail Boxes, Etc. on 210 Marlboro Avenue in Easton MD. To obtain a copy please call 410-822-0020 or email Mail Boxes Etc. mailboxes_easton@verizon.net. The copying cost is $6.00. Thank you.

UPDATE: I managed to get the report up online as well. It's available through Scribd, here at this link, http://www.scribd.com/doc/21863817/Assuring-the-Promise. I understand that some people have had difficulties accessing this website, but if you can take advantage of it, please do.

Next 50 Years Committee Lay the Foundation Meeting

2009-10-25T07:47:00.004-04:00

Please join us at the Avalon Theater to review The Next 50 Year’s Committee plan to Lay the Foundation for the Next 50 Years

October 28 and October 29, 2009 7:00pm

10/28 – All are welcome, focus on 7th and 8th grade parents of Saints Peter and Paul and All Parents Considering Saints Peter and Paul High School for their child’s education

10/29 – All are welcome, focus on Saints Peter and Paul High School Parents

Agenda –

Saints Peter and Paul High School – Let Us Tell You the Story
The Next Fifty Years Committee – How We Got Here , Where We Are Going and Progress Report
Question and Answer

We anticipate the meeting to last 1 hour. Please come and see how we are Laying the Foundation for the Next 50 Years

From the Next 50 Years Committee Re: Last Night's Meeting

2009-10-23T16:42:00.003-04:00

The informational meeting at Saints Peter and Paul Church last night was the first step in not only rebuilding and revitalizing our High School but through that process re-engaging and revitalizing the entire Parish. Never before has the Parish come together with such passion and single minded determination. It is clear that the Parishioners of Saints Peter and Paul love and support, as an absolute, our High School and no one is going to take it away. It was also clear that the Mid-shore community more broadly loves and supports our high school. The words of Bishop Salterelli “closing the school is not an option” resounded loud and clear last night. The message was as clear as the path ahead. We will rebuild and revitalize the school. Please join us.

Matthew Fitzgerald & George Hatcher, Co-Chairs, The Next 50 Years Committee, Saints Peter and Paul High School

Letters to the Star Democrat

2009-10-23T16:42:00.002-04:00

Just in case anyone else would like to send your own letter to the editor of the Star-Democrat but don’t know how, here are the guidelines and instructions:

According to the paper, there is a 250 word limit. Letters must be signed and include the writer’s address and phone number. You can mail them to “The Star-Democrat, Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 600, Easton, MD 21601” or e-mail to star-dem@chespub.com (and put Letter to the Editor in the subject line) or fax to 410-770-4019.

There are no guarantees on when or if your letter will be printed. But the sooner you send it in, the sooner it will most likely appear.

Keep up the good work everyone. Also, make sure you get a copy of the Sunday paper – Kristen Ecochard, the reporter who wrote the last story, said there should be a follow up piece in Sunday’s paper, and we also placed an ad.

MEETING AND IDEAS

2009-10-22T23:40:00.003-04:00

Thanks to everyone who attended the information meeting. It was heated and there were a lot of ideas and questions thrown out. One thing is intensely clear, it is up to us as a community to save this school.

That being said, now we must start brainstorming and in a hurry!

If you have ideas on how to raise money, fundraise, save the school... ideas used at other locations, in other churches/parishes/schools/businesses... please post them!

Not only should you share them (best if numbered, bullet points or short sentences) but also send letters to the Superintendent Catherine Weaver, The Parish and the High School.

Their addresses are available at the SSPP WEBSITE as well as the SAVE SSPP HS website. We have them posted on this site for the most part, as well.

The more we brainstorm the better.

Let's keep in mind that the questions that weren't answered tonight CAN be answered by writing the people in charge as well as keeping up as a group. We need to stay united and bring what we have to the table!

Thanks for your participation,

Alexis Morrell Class of '03

BE THERE

2009-10-22T01:11:00.001-04:00

Check out the last minute video-- gives the info you need!

Last Minute Requests

2009-10-21T22:39:00.002-04:00

Please post any last minute questions you have for tomorrow's meeting. I will try to print them out and get people to ask them.

Please think this through, read what others have posted and either reiterate or post something relevant. Thank you,

Alexis

News Updates

2009-10-20T12:54:00.003-04:00

A couple of news items worth noting.

First of all, the Diocese of Wilmington has declared bankruptcy in response to the multiple lawsuits it is facing due to accusations of pedophilia and molestation by at least one priest. Read the full story, http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/19/delaware-diocese-files-for-chapter-11/

Second, The Washington Times did a write-up on the situation with the school. It's a good article, and I highly recommend reading it. It's great that a little school over on the Eastern Shore can get this kind of media attention. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/19/delaware-diocese-files-for-chapter-11/

Keep up with the letters, and if you can afford to, pledge to donate to support the school. You can get the donation pledge letter here, http://www.SaveSSPPHS.com/web-storage/webstorage1/Pledge Letter of Intent.pdf

QUESTIONS FOR THE MEETING

2009-10-15T09:47:00.002-04:00

Sabres-

If you are unable to attend the meeting please post questions in the comment section of this post. Due to the fact that we cannot film or combine visual or audio media from the meeting, our reliance is on you asking questions through our established forums and our relaying these questions.

Be sure to post questions, even if you think they'll be asked, you never know what will come up or what might not get asked!

Thanks

Star-Democrat Article

2009-10-14T19:46:00.003-04:00

In case you didn't get a chance to see it, here's the text of the article that was in The Star-Democrat today.

Parish weighs closing Sts. Peter and Paul High
Parents, parishioners rally to support the school

By KRISTYN ECOCHARD Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 4:53 AM CDT

EASTON Parents, alumni and members of the Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church parish are rallying to support Sts. Peter and Paul High School after receiving a letter from the Rev. Robert E. Coine last week about the school's dire financial situation.

After 51 years, there is fear that the school could be closed for a lack of funding. According to the letter from Coine, there is a "serious problem jeopardizing the financial stability of the parish and consequently the future of our high school."

Coine cited increasing costs and debt, decreasing enrollment and "out-of-date and inadequate" teaching facilities as problems with the school.

The parish has subsidized the high school about $2.2 million since 2003, Coine wrote in the letter.

"This in itself reflects the parish administration's commitment and valiant efforts to continue Catholic secondary education in our parish," he wrote. "For quite some time, the parish administration and the Pastoral and Finance Councils have been struggling with this challenge, recognizing that some action must be taken to safeguard parish interests."

"It's evident we'll need to make this some kind of rally," said Cindy Buniski, a Sts. Peter and Paul High School parent. "Nothing drastic changed in the budget, so we're not really sure where this is coming from. This is not the only route."

At Sunday's 10:30 a.m. mass, a large group of students, wearing their SSPP school uniforms, attended as a show of solidarity.

Parents, alumni, parishioners and other community members have gathered to form a leadership committee that is working to save the high school. The group has created a Web site www.savesspphs.com in an effort to gather support. The leadership committee includes: George and Kim Hatcher, Bill and Anne Warpinski, Matt and Peggy Fitzgerald, Drew and Cindy Buniski and Tom and Maria Mitchell.

"We are trying to make a statement to Rev. Coine in a civil way that we want to be part of the process," Buniski said. "Some people feel a decision has been made without input from the parish and those using the school ... We just want to have a civil and positive dialogue."

Parents have started doing research on other parochial school closings with the hope of finding ways to prevent the same thing from happening here.

"Other schools have closed because of a significant decline in enrollment or a declining population, but we're not seeing a significant decline in enrollment here and we are in an area where the population is growing," Buniski said.

It's great that there are people in the community who are willing to take this on, she said.

"We're having terrific support and I'm feeling optimistic," Buniski said.

If the school were to close, the nearest Catholic high schools are an hour from Easton and Talbot County Public Schools would likely have to absorb more than 125 students.

"There is nothing wrong with public school, but it's not for everybody," Buniski said.

A decision on the school's future is not expected until at least January, she said.

"But we need to see what it is going to take," she said.

Both the leadership group and Coine asked the community to pray for the parish and the school.

An informational meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at the church.

PLEASE POST IF YOU VISIT

2009-10-13T17:18:00.003-04:00

If you are visiting this blog, please post a comment! This will encourage us to post information and for new visitors to post as well!

Thanks,

Alexis Morrell ('03) and Kevin Waterman ('05)

Open Thread

2009-10-13T16:09:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to throw this up as a forum for people to have some general discussion on the high school and the possible closing.

Comment away.

Letters

2009-10-13T00:14:00.038-04:00

In light of the success in keeping the high school open for the 2010-2011 year, we've decided to re-structure this page to highlight some of the best accounts of just how excellent an institution it is and how incredibly powerful a force SSPP has been in people's lives.

Kevin Waterman's Letter to Bishop Malooly
Rebecca Burrow's Letter to Bishop Malooly
Rosemarie Lobley's Letter to Bishop Malooly
Ken and Amy Schisler's Letter to Bishop Malooly
Linda Keating's Letter to Bishop Malooly
Gabriela Biddle's Letter to Bishop Malooly
Class of 2013's Letter to Father Coine
Lynn Hatcher's Letter to Bishop Malooly
Daniel and Patricia Wiles Letter to Father Coine
Deborah Mangold Lipscomb's Letter to Father Coine
Barbara Biddle's Letter to Father Coine
Lynn Hatcher's Letter to Father Coine

If you have a story to tell of the role SSPP has played in your life, please e-mail the file to questingforatlantis@gmail.com so I can add it up here.

Should you have any difficulty opening these letters, please send an e-mail to questingforatlantis@gmail.com and let me know.

Welcome

2009-10-12T19:11:00.003-04:00

Welcome to the "Save SSPP!!!!" Blog.

Yes the four exclamation points might seem redundant, but they are needed as we are in a dire situation.

I have set this blog up so that everyone has an opportunity to know where to go for information, where to go to show support and has the most up to date facts available.

This site also provides an interactive forum for everyone including those not on facebook, or not in Easton (or the Eastern Shore).

We are asking everyone to please write a letter to Bishop Malooly and a letter to Catherine P. Weaver (the Superintendent of the Diocese of Wilmington) to fill their mailboxes with our concern over potentially losing our high school.

Also, we are asking that you try and attend the meeting about the school on October 22nd at 7pM @ SSPP Church.

Links to the various SSPP associated sites are on the left of this blog.
A map to the new church is also provided.

Please visit SaveSSPP.com for any information or contacting the Advisory Board.

Feel free to leave comments on this blog, to interact with one another as well as to provide:

Contact Information
Whether or not you can come to the meeting
Opinions
Questions
Let us know you're out there
Where you are now
If you have an ideas of how to help

Thank you for your time, we won't go down without a fight.

Alexis Morrell SSPP HS Class of '03