SpringfieldNewsSun.com

Springfield, Ohio — As Catholic schools across the country are closing their doors and struggling to strive, Catholic Central Schools has thrived and has been recognized as one of the top parochial schools in the country, according to school officials.

Catholic Central has been selected as one of twelve schools nationwide to receive the Catholic Schools for Tomorrow Award for Innovations in Education.

The Springfield school was selected because of its consolidation and merger, decisions that allowed the system to flourish, said junior/senior high Principal Jeanne Kunay.

"This award means that Catholic Central School is now recognized as a leader and a national role model in the consolidation and merging of schools," Kunay said.

Catholic Central's peers in the group are from much larger cities like Baltimore, Phoenix and Louisville, Kunay noted.

Just five years ago, enrollment at the area feeder parish schools and the high school reached an all-time low, and officials were uncertain about the chances of paying staff and utility bills from week-to-week, said Kathy Sahle, development director. The same year, Catholic Central was named one of the top 50 Catholic schools in the nation on the Catholic High School Honor Roll.

School leaders and community members made the decision to consolidate schools the following year to create three prekindergarten through sixth grade campuses and one junior/senior high campus.

In 2008, the Urbana parish school consolidated, and families there were offered a travel stipend, said Sahle.

Catholic Central also joined the Ohio EdChoice Scholarship program, and through vouchers provided to students attending struggling public schools, enrollment climbed 11.2 percent during the past four years, Sahle said.

The school continues to look toward what it may be able to do in the future to stay successful and hired a president, Kenith Britt, earlier this year, Sahle said. Next school year, the school will adopt a president-principal model that puts Britt in charge of business operations and leaves more time for principals to focus on academics.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0373 or mgildow@coxohio.com.