contact: Kathleen Hohl, 414-769-3494

Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan announced today that St. Thomas Aquinas Academy will open in the 2004-2005 academic year and will provide Catholic education to residents of the Bay View, St. Francis and Cudahy neighborhoods.

"The creation of St. Thomas Aquinas Academy ensures that children will have access to high-quality Catholic education for years to come," said Archbishop Dolan. "St. Thomas Aquinas brings the best of the current five school communities together and offers a dynamic new opportunity to parents and children in southeastern Milwaukee County."

The development of the new school is a collaborative effort among six parish and five school communities in an effort to maintain a Catholic school presence in this region of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The communities involved in the collaboration include:

Immaculate Conception Parish, Milwaukee;
Nativity of the Lord Parish and School, Cudahy;
Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish and Middle School, St. Francis;
St. Augustine Parish, Milwaukee;
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Academy, Milwaukee;
St. Paul Parish and School, Milwaukee; and
St. Veronica Parish and School, Milwaukee.

One campus housing grades 4-8 will be located at 341 E. Norwich St., the current home of St. Veronica School. Another campus will be located at 3945 S. Kansas Ave., the current home of St. Paul School, and will house students in three-year-old kindergarten through third grade.

On June 30, 2004, the five schools will cease operation. On July 1, 2004, St. Thomas Aquinas Academy will officially open. Each site will be served by a principal. St. Thomas Aquinas Academy will offer the core academic and religion classes, as well as a three- and four-year-old kindergarten, computer lab, learning resource center, band, foreign language classes, a hot lunch program, and before-and after-school care. Some of these specialty areas are not currently offered at all five schools.

Parish leaders had shared their concern for the future of Catholic education as a result of declining enrollment and escalating operational costs and tuition rates in each of the school communities. Consequently, in July 2003, Archbishop Dolan commissioned a task force to develop a plan for high quality, accessible and affordable Catholic education in the Bay View, St. Francis and Cudahy neighborhoods.

Members of the six parish and five school communities were represented on the task force, along with Thomas More High School officials and archdiocesan staff members.

The task force held regular meetings, hosted parent and parishioner listening sessions, and conducted two parent surveys. Thorough site reviews of all five school facilities were conducted by Pujara Wirth Torke, a Wauwatosa-based engineering and architecture firm.

"We used an inclusive process that examined many different models and possibilities," said Dr. Thomas Fabian, who served as the task force facilitator. "We are confident that St. Thomas Aquinas Academy will provide a wonderful opportunity to preserve and enhance Catholic education in this area of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee."

For more information, please visit the St. Thomas Aquinas Academy web site.