Immaculate Conception High school fights to stay open.
On June 10, Archbishop John J. Myers announced the closing of Immaculate Conception High School, but the community fought the closure, raising over $211,000. Now, the Catholic high school has been given a chance to remain open if efforts remain in full swing. The high school has been down on numbers of enrolled students and debt is increasing, but if a plan takes effect, the school will see the light of tomorrow.
Archdiocese Superintendent of Education, Margaret Dames, has been assigned to notify high school officials to develop a plan and its immediate implementation to meet the school’s needs in order to remain open. A deadline has been set for July 15, in which a working plan must be issued for the high school to continue into the 2014-2015 school year.
Since the high school has issued its closure, both staff members and community members are reaching out for help. Teachers Carlos Franco and Ryan Horan have created an online fundraiser through the platform GoFundMe. They have set a fundraising goal at $500,000, and currently the high school has raised 45 percent of its total. You can help the high school reach its goal at gofundme.com/keep-ic-open and donate to keep their doors open. The high school also must have 175 students enrolled in the upcoming school year – a 20 student increase, but seemingly reasonable.
Efforts do not stop at faculty. Immaculate Conception High School students are committed to keeping their school afloat, carrying flyers for the fight to save their home. For students of Irvington, East Orange and Newark, Immaculate Conception is their school of choice. They don’t want to see their safety net shatter due to lack of funds and are staying positive. The students are reaching out to their resources and using basketball games for bake sales and hosting a parade on the Fourth of July.
In an era where education is of epic importance, let’s feed the funding to reach $500,000 so the high school students at Immaculate Conception stay safe!
Be a part of the fight! Upcoming events include:
- NJ Jackels Baseball Game at Montclair State University, June 30 at 7 p.m.
- Fourth of July Parade in Montclair, July 4 at 10 a.m.
- Shillelagh Club of West Orange, July 12 from 3 to 8 p.m.
The Immaculate Conception High School is located at 33 Cottage Place in Montclair, N.J. and can be reached by phone at 973-744-7445.
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