It would have been easy for families, alumni and supporters of Driscoll Catholic High School in Addison to accept the April 2 decision of the Christian Brothers of the Midwest to close the facility at the end of the academic year and move on with their lives.
But they chose to pool their resources and make an effort to keep the school open. As of last week, members of a fundraising committee had raised more than $930,000 as part of a plan to save the school.
However, the religious order believed even this would not be enough to sustain Driscoll. Though they gave supporters some time to raise money and devise a plan to keep the school operating, the Christian Brothers announced last week that the high school will close its doors.
Sadly, they’re probably right. It’s difficult to imagine how anyone could turn the tide of declining enrollment.
Supporters are continuing their efforts to save the school. They hope to persuade Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of the Joliet Roman Catholic Diocese to allow Driscoll to run as an independent school without the sponsorship of the Christian Brothers.
Those who’ve fought hard to keep Driscoll open deserve a great deal of credit for the astounding work they’ve done in such a short time. But the challenges to sustaining the school are many, and this most probably means it’s time to let it go. Their talents would be better served in helping students settle in at new schools.
