ACA supports 'great tradition' of Catholic education in archdiocese

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Almost $4.4 million in grants from the Annual Catholic Appeal is earmarked for Catholic education, close to 40 percent of all grants, said ACA director Brian Niebrugge.

"Catholic education is a great tradition in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, a part of our heritage that those who built this archdiocese have entrusted to us. I think that it is up to all of us as the local Church to accept that responsibility," Niebrugge said.

"Catholic schools are an important tool to carry on our faith. And it's also important to help children receive a Catholic education who otherwise might find it very difficult to lift themselves out of poverty. Every child we help has the potential to touch generations of their descendants." He stressed, "The ACA is helping students attend Catholic schools and helping keep our schools 'Alive in Christ.'"

The ACA grants include $2.1 million to elementary school assistance; $1.25 million to archdiocesan high schools; $250,000 to parochial high schools; $100,000 to the Today and Tomorrow Educational Foundation; as well as grants to the Elementary Teachers Professional Growth Fund and the high school stewardship essay program.

The ACA is also designating $332,500 to the archdiocesan Department of Special Education, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary.

The first diocesan department of special education in the nation, it was established in 1950 by Msgr. Elmer Behrmann, who considered the education of children with developmental disabilities to be a social justice issue.

The ACA support is invaluable, said Karen Tichy, associate superintendent for instruction and special education for the St. Louis Archdiocese.

"Were it not for the support of the Annual Catholic Appeal, the archdiocesan Department of Special Education would not be here completing its 60th year of providing Catholic education to young people whose special learning needs cannot be met in general education," Tichy explained.

"Over 75 percent of our families require tuition assistance to give their children Catholic special education, and the support of the Catholic community through the ACA makes it possible for our families to keep their children in a Catholic school." Tichy stressed, "The ACA is our most significant partner in our mission."

Today, the Department of Special Education is administered by the archdiocesan Catholic Education Office. It serves approximately 300 children per year, from as young as 6 weeks old through high school, in a variety of schools and programs, including two elementary schools; three elementary school learning centers adjacent to general education parish schools for children whose learning disabilities require part of their curriculum be taught in a special education classroom; a center for school-aged children with autism and other developmental disabilities; two inclusionary early childhood centers for children with developmental delays and typically developing children; and other programs including pre-vocational services for students at partner Catholic high schools and educational assessment services to assess whether a child has learning disabilities. The Catholic Education Office's Department of Religious Education also provides a religious education ministry for persons with disabilities.

Beena Huber, a member of Holy Trinity Parish in St. Ann, attended Annunziata School in Ladue, a special education school for children with learning disabilities, after coming to the United States from India at age 9. Her adoptive parents placed her in Annunziata after she struggled in public school. "I was getting F's in fifth and sixth grade. I didn't speak English," Huber said. Once at Annunziata, she earned A's and B's and went from there to St. Thomas Aquinas-Mercy High School, where she was on the honor roll.

Today, Huber's son, who struggled with reading, attends Annunziata. "He was reading way below his grade level before coming to Annunziata. Now he's doing much better, reading at his level, getting A's and B's." Huber added, "This has made a big difference to him, and it made a big difference to me. Becauses of this education and the (focus on) faith in God, it gave me faith in myself."