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Date: 6/3/2020
ENFIELD,CT – After almost 60 years of providing a Catholic-based education for Enfield children, the Blue Ribbon Award winning St. Martha’s School has succumbed to financial difficulties. The school opened in September, 1963 and at its peak, served between 275 and 300 students from kindergarten to eighth grade. A preschool program was added in September of 2018.
Former principal, Sister Theresa Grochowski, who served the school from 1995 to 2011, recalled the school’s history and said, “a lot was accomplished during these years due to the dedicated and caring teachers, staff, parents, and parishioners, who loved Saint Martha School.” She added that the school was lucky to have had the support of a pastor who was passionate about education.
“We were very fortunate to have a pastor, Rev. John O’Connell, whose heart and support were for the spiritual formation and education of the children of the parish,” she said. Grochowski went on to recall when the school was notified that they’d received the Blue Ribbon Award during the spring of 2010, calling it “a special memory.”
“We were so happy and excited and in November of 2010, Mrs. Lenora Hilinski, [a] former algebra and technology teacher, and I went to Washington, D.C. to receive this prestigious award in the name of St. Martha School. This was a great honor not only for the school children but also for Saint Martha Parish,” she said.
The current pastor of St. Martha Parish, Father Robert Villa, explained throughout the years many fundraising efforts had been made to keep the school running. Such efforts included the addition of tuition payments.
“There were several appeals made from the pulpit in order to increase the school revenue. We applied for grants, and on numerous occasions, we tried to raise funds from the private sector. We had very generous donors, but unfortunately, it was not enough to maintain the school operations,” he said.
When asked how the school’s closing would affect the parish, Villa said, “Since the school and church share the same space, not having the children bring life to the halls of the building will be a sad reality we all have to face.” However, he said the playground would remain open as “it’s good to see parish families use it” and “it brings life to this enormous property.”
He said that while he was sad to see the school close, he was hoping the space would still be able to be used by the parish.
“We hope that by focusing on more pastoral and spiritual efforts/activities, the space can be opened to the wider community and bring new life to the parish,” he said. “We still offer daily Masses, five weekend Masses, including Spanish and Latin Masses. Additionally, we do have several parish groups that provide an active parish life.”
Amy Dawley, who teaches literature and language arts to junior high students and serves as advisor to the National Junior Honor Society, has been with the school for 10 years. She said some of her favorite memories while employed at the school include the Blue Ribbon award ceremony, Monday morning Mass, watching students interact with one another, field trips and more. She said the thing she will miss most about the school though, is the community.
“I think the biggest loss will be the familial feel that the students share. They really have become like a large group of brothers and sisters who look out for and take care of one another,” she said. “For example, my seventh graders are very protective of their Pre-K buddies and love doing activities with them. I know they are going to miss each other, especially leaving one year short of their final year.”
School Board Member Bill Searles has seen many family members educated at St. Martha’s over the years. His step-daughters attended the school in 1977, followed by his granddaughter in the 90’s, then three grandsons, and for the past four years his great-granddaughter has attended the school.
At various points throughout those years, Searles has served as the girls basketball coach, bringing the team to its first ever win in 1986. He recalled their “incredible excitement,” and encouragement of O’Connell, who had come to see them play.
Fifteen-years later, he saw that same excitement on the faces of his granddaughter’s team as they won their first game under his coaching. In addition to coaching, some of his most cherished memories have included watching his children and grandchildren excel at the school. Searles credits the “superb” teachers they have had with their success.
He also reflected on the “incredible way that SMS teachers and staff rallied for my oldest grandson when he was diagnosed with liver cancer, and all they did to make sure he could continue his education - with huge support.”
Searles said he believes the biggest loss that comes with the school’s closures is that “another small school with a strong community feel and approach is gone.”
“SMS has been a local institution and has a history of being close-knit and supportive of its children and families. The strong academic tradition has been linked with strong moral development also, and that is especially important today with so many influences hitting children,” he said.
Plans are still being finalized for the graduating class of 2020. The 148 students not graduating from the school, are making plans to continue their education at St. Bernard’s School in Enfield, St. Mary Academy in Longmeadow or at the local public school closest to them.
Throughout the years, as student enrollment has declined, Enfield Public Schools have had to combine and/or close a number of schools.
Faculty member Dawley said, “I think there need to be more studies or surveys taken as to what Catholic families are looking to gain from a Catholic education. In other words, what would it take for them to be willing to make the financial sacrifice to enroll their children in a Catholic school.”
Dawley continued, “It may be that Catholic schools need to offer something special that sets them apart. For example, in New Haven, three Catholic schools are closing, but the newly merged school will set itself apart by becoming an International Baccalaureate School focused on language. Meanwhile, studies out of New Jersey have shown that other Catholic schools have turned around their enrollments by adopting a classical curriculum. There may need to be committees put together to study these types of trends to see if they may offer insight and viable solutions to the current problems facing the system.”
According to Father Villa, Catholic school enrollment is declining due to less people taking their Catholic faith to heart, and showing less dedication to the religion. He said, “We need parents who seriously take their Catholic faith to heart, and be convinced that Catholic education is not just a private education. Catholics schools were established to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ Our Savior to the next generation, in order to secure the survival of the faith. Catholic schools achieved this by planting the harmonious seeds of faith and knowledge in the minds and hearts of our young ones. But, there had to be continuity of these efforts at home. Families were life-long active and dedicated members of the parish where their children went to school, even for many years after the children graduated. That’s how parishes maintained the sustainability of the school. It generated the enrollments from its own families. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case. There are other factors that need consideration, but I personally think this is the most important one.”
Plans are being considered to commemorate the many years that the school was open and its impact on many of the town’s residents.