Editor:
The Oct. 12 announcement of the closing of St. Mary’s School prompted school families to take action and form a committee called People for Academically Rigorous Catholic Education in the Mid-Valley.
The objective of PACEM is to provide perpetual access to local, academically-rigorous, Catholic education for all mid-valley families, Catholic and non-Catholic, with a special emphasis on making education affordable and responsive to the needs of our communities.
A parent meeting held on Oct. 24 called upon both past and present St. Mary’s School families to provide feedback on how to revitalize the school. PACEM consulted with Corvallis, Lebanon and Sweet Home Catholic church pastors to propose a regional area school.
St. Mary’s School is well-known for its rigorous academics. Many generations of our school’s graduates have excelled and taken leadership roles in every facet in our community and across the United States. Students are required to perform service projects to improve their community.
St. Mary’s students are safe at school. Albany Police Department statistics show no calls for school violence from 2011 to date.
If you are a St. Mary’s School alumni or a community member that supports Catholic education, please call Jo Ann Yonemura at (541) 928-3462 or e-mail [email protected]. We would like to hear from you.
Jo Ann Yonemura
PACEM Action Committee