DIOCESAN NEWS
01/29/10
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Investment in Catholic schools reaps lifelong dividends
By Fabvienen Taylor
      JACKSON — The 2010 theme for Catholic Schools Week is “Dividends for Life.”
“What we are really emphasizing is that Catholic schools in the United States, particularly here in Mississippi, have a long tradition of quality education that is faith-based,” said Sister       Deborah Hughes, Diocese of Jackson superintendent of schools.
In its 163 years of existence, she said, the goal of Catholic schools in Mississippi has been to instill four things in students: faith, knowledge, morals and self-discipline.
      “Our whole reason for doing this is to help students meet their future goals. Hopefully, we produce for the nation and for the communities where these students will live, people who are committed citizens, people who are productive employees and people who can be effective leaders, if they are in a situation calling for leadership,” Sister Hughes said.
      Dividends are what people hope to get out of an investment, she said.
      Catholic education, any education is an investment for the future, Sister Hughes said.
      “Rarely do students appreciate it when they are being educated. It is when they look back that they really see the time and effort they invested has resulted in something they can be proud of.”
      Sister Hughes said Catholic education is in a new era.
      “That is especially true here in our diocese where 98 percent of our teachers and administrators are lay people, as opposed to the past, when Catholic schools were primarily staffed by priests, religious sisters and brothers.”
      Parents, parishes, and the broader Catholic community all invest in Catholic schools, she said.
      “Tuition is not at all equal to the real cost of Catholic education. For that reason, I want to point out another group making an investment in the future.
      “It is the group of talented educators, teachers, principals and support people in our schools, who could be making much more money elsewhere, but have chosen to use their talents and educational background in our Catholic school system.
      “They and the Catholic Church itself are the rock-bottom foundation in our ability to provide Catholic education in an age when there are few religious sisters and brothers.”
      In the Jackson diocese, the cost of a Catholic education has affected the enrollment in all the schools, she said.
      “Enrollment has decreased over the last 10 years. Our total number of students right now in 4,300 students. When I first came here about 14 years ago, the number was about 4,900.”
      The number of families able to participate in Catholic education has decreased, she said.
      “However, there has been no decrease in the level of commitment in terms of people’s belief in the importance of Catholic education for their children.
      That level of the commitment is very high,” Sister Hughes said.
      “People recognize an academically excellent curriculum, coupled with a solid foundation in one’s faith, has even more value today than in the past. I think that is reflective of the society and culture in which we live.”
      Sister Hughes said the role of being a parent is not easy.
      “Parents really appreciate the opportunity to partner with a school and work in a cooperative relationship with educators to make sure young people have everything possible, every tool possible, in order to be successful in life.”
      The score a student makes on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is not as important as what a student does with the knowledge he or she has, she said.
      “What a child believes is more important than what a child knows,” Sister Hughes said.

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