“The joke used to be that IHM was the best kept secret in Monona, [but] I don’t want it to be a secret,” said Callie Meiller, principal of Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) School in Monona.
Tag: Immaculate Heart of Mary School
Sr. Sue Keim celebrates more than 40 years of serving Catholic schools
February 2, the Feast of the Presentation, is also the World Day for Consecrated Life.
Nine years of music at Immaculate Heart of Mary
“Music education is a central part of growing the whole child,” said music teacher Daniella Binzak from Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Monona. “I try to make sure by the time my students leave that they can read about music, write about music, think about music, and participate in music however they might want to in the future.”
Opportunity knocking: Catholic school answers the call by recruiting Hispanic students
Although there are still many strong Catholic schools across the United States, trends show a continuing decline in the number of Catholic schools and students attending those schools.
According to data from the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), in the past 10 years, the number of Catholic schools across the country has decreased by 23.8 percent from 8,114 to 6,841. The enrollment in Catholic schools has dropped by 23.4 percent from 2,320,651 to 2,031, 455.
Most of the enrollment decline has been experienced at the elementary school level. It is estimated that there are almost 700,000 empty seats existing in Catholic schools.
Number of Hispanic Catholics growing
The number of Hispanic Catholics in the United States is growing by leaps and bounds. Hispanics now comprise 35 percent of all Catholics and 67 percent of practicing Catholics aged 18 to 34, according to a Notre Dame report, To Nurture the Soul of a Nation: Latino Families, Catholic Schools, and Educational Opportunities (December 2009).
According to the report, only about three percent of Hispanic students currently attend Catholic schools. Many families would like to send their children to Catholic schools, but they think they can’t afford to do so.