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After 105 years, St. Camillus Academy in Corbin to close in May
Posted On 17 Jan 2013
An artist’s rendering of St. Camillus Academy’s first school building which has since been demolished.
The sixth grade students at St. Camillus Academy spent time Thursday searching the school for items they could sell on eBay. Their goal was to help raise money to keep the 105-year-old school open beyond May 23.
Principal Terry Newquist said an official letter announcing that the school would close came from the Diocese of Lexington, which operates the school that was founded by the Sisters of Divine Providence in 1908, on Tuesday.
“It was a financial decision,” Newquist said was reason the diocese gave for the decision, noting the school, which has nine grade levels from pre-kindergarten to sixth grades, and has an annual operating budget of approximately $600,000.
Newquist added that most of that funding comes from tuition. The remainder comes from grant money and fund raising projects.
In addition to the eBay idea, Newquist said the 83 students have been racking their brains to come up with other fundraising ideas to keep the school open.
“They all have plans to save the school,” Newquist said of the students.
Parents, who were informed Tuesday night via e-mail, have been working on ideas as well. Newquist, whose children have attended St. Camillus, said parents are planning to meet next week to determine what they can do to keep the school open.
“We will not go down without a fight,” Newquist said. “We are researching our options.”
While the diocese has been operating the school under an agreement with the sisters, whose motherhouse is in Melbourne, Newquist said the sisters still own the school and the property.
Because of the diminishing number of nuns and their advanced ages, Newquist said there are only two who are still teaching at the school. Sister Rosella Summe, who teaches third grade, admitted it would be difficult if the school does close and she is forced to relocate. While there are other opportunities in education for her and the other teachers, the students would not have another option in the area to receive a Catholic education.
“We have thought about asking a different order of sisters to come in and run the school,” Newquist said.
In addition to searching for ideas to raise money, Newquist said the students are writing letters to Bishop Ronald Gainer, who heads the diocese, in an effort to change his mind about closing the school.
“It would kill all of us,” Newquist said of the parents, faculty staff and students. “It is not just a school for all of us, it is a part of our lives.”
Calls to the bishop’s office and to the superintendent’s office were not returned.
If the school does close, Newquist said the property and building will likely be sold.
According to the school’s website, the 35-acre tract of land was purchased in 1914. Construction of the old building began soon after. It opened in May 1915. By the early 1970s, enrollment grew to 300 students in grades one through 12. The existing building was constructed in 1973. At the time it housed the grade school, while the high school continued in the original building. The first Kindergarten class was added in 1985 and Montessori class began in 1996. The high school closed in 1996 due to decreasing enrollment and increasing expenses.
Newquist said a similar situation resulted in the school dropping seventh and eighth grade classes this year.
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fORMER TEACHER
I went there for12 years started1950. We were in that original building. Our alumni met with the nuns, & everyone. We wanted to save the old building, do repairs, turn it into a arts center for Corbin. The nuns or idiocies would have no expense. The nuns said no to every thing we tried to work with them . They would hear of nothing to do to save the building. They chose to have the building torn down. We wanted the old and new to stay, did they care no. Yes I am angry, it have been a wonderful thing for that city, & the school they have now. Now because of their bad business choice all of our lives have been jerked out from under us. And yes we have memories, but without the building those memories are not the same. Since our building is gone, we life’s, ( people who gave 12 years) have been cheated out of a lot of our child hood. Pete Samples can give you the full story, he worked hard with many others to come to an agreement with the nuns. If we could have done that none of this would be happening.
The reason for the school in the beginning was to bring a higher quality of Education and a finer quality of people& education to a city in that day was on the bad side. It was a hard time back then.
Exactly what we wanted to preserve was, so Society could see the history of a huge part of where it started, what SCA did for the city. To Produce a higher of school, to a ruff time in society. It did just that, & no matter what we offered the nuns& all said. The clincher is it would have been preserved at no cost to them. The school you are trying to save is a good jester. For us ours is gone,
If all the alumni could pledge to donate a small amount( which is tax deductible).. We could save the school! Please call the school @ 606-528-5077 or email at sos@stcamillusacademy.org. Give your information and pledge amount!! Corbin needs this school!
People in this country need to wake up and KEEP schools like St.C. OPEN.
When people are more concerned that lobsters have “feelings” when being boiled alive BUT have no trouble going for an abortion … we need different teachings than what public schools offer !
I’m not religious and everybody that knows me knows that BUT I know right from wrong , and this country is “going wrong” and it begins in our public schools !
… and to think I was kicked out of St.C. for wearing jeans … and here I am sticking up for them …
My father, David M. Edwards, went to St. C beginning approx 1924 and graduated from there. I went for a couple years and transfered to East Ward School in the 3rd grade. I finished high school in 3 years to be able to go to Western Kentucky as early as possible for my college education. Therefore I needed two years of summer school classes to be able to graduate when I wanted to from high school. I enjoyed summer school for 2 years at St. C and loved every minute of the superb education I received from dedicated teachers. The buildings were absolutely built extremely well. I had hoped all these many past years that a nursing home or even a retirement home for elderly people could be at St. C. Someone told me most of the buildings had been demolished. It seems such a shame. The property is absolutely beautiful at the top of the hill. Maybe someone will buy and build something that will be beautiful up there in some way hopefully.
I feel bad that the school is closing. My father and mother graduated from this school in 1944, 45, so did all my uncles and aunts, my whole family was raised in corbin. My uncle joe Hegenauers father built a barn on that property in the early 1900s. my grandfather worked for the railroad in Corbin, he was a roundhouse forman.
“which operates the school that was founded by the Sisters of Divine Providence in 1908”
“land was purchased in 1914. Construction of the old building began soon after. It opened in May 1915”
I went to St. C. for a few years … maybe they taught me different math but that doesn’t add up !
I liked the old school building , all of the nice old wood everywhere , not all the plastic and paint we have today.
The old school building should have been put on the historical buildings list.
R.I.P. St. C