Monthly Newspaper • DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT

Stratford, CT – Students from St. Mark School in Stratford got a surprise when they arrived at school Wednesday morning to find their principal dressed up as a Scout Elf, along with Santa Claus himself, throwing magic snow from the roof.

Car horns honked, bus horns honked, and families clapped and laughed.

This is the second year that St. Mark Principal Melissa Warner decided to spread some holiday cheer as Peppermint Sparkle, the St. Mark Elf on the Shelf.

Not only did Warner dress as the holiday icon, but she also hid in different places around the school where students were able to find her. Photos show her keeping an elf surveillance on the students so that she can report to Santa Claus.

When spotted, students gathered around her with smiles, squeals and waves.

There was a very serious debate in Kindergarten whether Mrs. Warner was a real elf. It was overheard that “Mrs. Warner can’t be a real elf because she is big and elves are small.”

“We are all about the kids here at St. Mark School; service to students above all else,” commented Warner. “As a Catholic school we spend the Advent Season preparing our hearts for the birth of Jesus. As an elementary school, we do what we can to bring joy and cheer.”

Just like the popular, sneaky little Elf on the Shelf, Peppermint Sparkle made some mischief wherever she went. Of all her antics, the students’ favorite was when she challenged the middle school students to a snowball fight.

Principal Warner admits there is not much she would not do to make her students smile. Last year, Peppermint Sparkle visited St. Mark School after a snowstorm. Students watched from their classroom windows as the elf sledded down hills of snow.

Parents helped the elf with her mischievousness this year, including a 2nd grade father dressing up as Santa himself.

“Seeing the looks on the kids’ faces made it all worthwhile,” shared Santa, aka Derek Masterbone. This is one small elementary school with educators that are going to bat for kids every day and going above and beyond to make things exciting and magical,” he said.

BRIDGEPORT—After a year off due to COVID-19, Harvest Party returned to Kolbe Cathedral High School on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  Harvest Party is the longest-running tradition at Kolbe Cathedral and is meant to help bring the students together as they work to win the various competitions. Each class decorates their assigned hallways in a theme they choose. This year’s themes included Hollywood Legends, and the 90s.  Students competed in games including volleyball, hungry-hungry hippo and tug-of-war. Because service and helping those in need are important to the Kolbe community, they held a can drive and collected over 700 canned goods for the Bridgeport Rescue Mission. At the end of the day and the points were totaled, the Class of ‘22 came out on top winning a half-day off for their strong team play.

Paying homage to Harvest Party, the school launched its first-ever annual fund. It is named the Annual Harvest Fund to recognize the hard work, care and nurturing it takes each year to produce a bountiful crop of caring graduates and college-bound students in the largest and poorest city in Connecticut. This fundraising effort will run through June ’22.

(For more information, visit kolbecaths.org and click the “Donate” button)

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DANBURY—Immaculate High School recently inducted 37 students into the St. Thomas Aquinas Chapter of the National Honor Society, an affiliated chartered chapter of the National Honor Society at a ceremony held at the Amber Room. Students who are inducted into the National Society are required to have a minimum 3.5 GPA. They must also have a leadership role in either the school or community, inspire positive behavior in others, have served at least 75 hours (juniors) or 100 hours (seniors) of community service and consistently demonstrate respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, caring and good citizenship. Membership is offered to juniors and seniors who meet the criteria established by the National Association of Secondary School Principals in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service and character. Once accepted, members are expected to uphold the criteria of excellence in all four areas.

“These students should be proud to be members. It’s more than just academics: these students provide many hours of service to the community and are leaders among their peers,” says Dana Pickney, advisor of the National Honor Society. Keynote speaker Kat Keeley, an English teacher at the school, told students to always remember to use their knowledge, compassion and talents to make a difference in the lives of others.

Students inducted include Julia Babcock (Ridgefield), Colleen Blackman (New Fairfield), Gavin Buttafuoco (New Fairfield), Dominic Chila (Danbury), Julianna Chronakos (Brookfield), Julia Cirone (Newtown), Carina Clark (Danbury), Caitlin Conley (Ridgefield), Isabella Desintonio (Patterson, NY), Chase Dietter (Brookfield), Aidan Doolabh (Danbury), Olivia Esposito (Danbury), Joseph Falcao (Danbury), Nicholas Garcia (Danbury), Benjamin Gasparrini (Ridgefield), Alyssa Hartnett (Ridgefield), Amanda Hoyt (Danbury), Sadie Jarboe (Danbury), Anna Kopec (Bethel), Qianhui Liao (New Milford), Michaela Martin (Ridgefield), Patrick McKenzie (Newtown), Madison Moreau (Redding), Kayla O’Marra (Bethel), Angela Pacheco (Danbury), Talia Pereira (Brookfield), Elise, Quartaro (New Fairifield), Abbe Radigan (Ridgefield), Mia Romano (Bethel), Cole Ross (Brookfield), Connor Sahl (Danbury), Caleb Schmidt (Ridgefield), Sarah Tallaksen (New Milford), James Toscano (New Milford), Kerry Tuccinardi (Bethel), Sofia Velez (Danbury).

Immaculate High School is a private, non-profit Catholic college-preparatory institution serving students from 28 communities in Connecticut and New York. Founded in 1962, Immaculate High School also allows students to focus on academic excellence, spiritual development, service to others, and personal goals.  Located in Danbury, CT, Immaculate High School is part of the Diocese of Bridgeport’s school system.

Photo l-r: Julia Cirone, Patrick McKeenzie, and Sofia Velez

DANBURY—Principal Wendy Neil of Immaculate High School announced that William Doran and Julong Williams have been named Commended Students in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program.  A Letter of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which conducts the program, will be presented by the principal at an awards ceremony to these two exceptional students.

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise.  Doran and Williams placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2022 national competition by taking the 2020 preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

“Those being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success, commented a spokesman for NMSC.  “These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role that their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation.  We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success.”

Immaculate High School is a private, non-profit Catholic college-preparatory institution serving students from 28 communities in Connecticut and New York. Founded in 1962, Immaculate High School also allows students to focus on their spiritual development, personal moral commitments and service to others.  Located in Danbury, CT, Immaculate High School is part of a Diocesan-sponsored school.

STRATFORD—Christmas came early this year at St. Mark School, as the elementary school hosted its traditional Breakfast with Santa. Throughout the morning, over 200 people attended the annual holiday event that was canceled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students and families from St. Mark School and parish gathered Sunday morning for breakfast and activities with Santa Claus and his elves.

The school gymnasium was transformed into The Polar Express. Kids were able to visit Santa Claus and take photographs with him before he boarded the train to the North Pole.

Breakfast was hosted and coordinated by Stratford’s Paradise Pizza Owner and St. Mark Parent, Andy Tsichlas. Under Andy’s leadership, members of the school community as well as Andy’s family made and served waffles, eggs, bacon, sausage links and other breakfast items.

The event also featured Christmas arts and crafts, cookie bake sale and themed basket raffles. Upper grade students and recent alumni helped with set up and clean up.

“The breakfast spoke volumes to the power of Christmas spirit and coming together,” shared St. Mark Parent and Event Chair Michele Rouse. “Many of us yearn for togetherness after being impacted by the pandemic.”

“Breakfast with Santa is a magical time for our students and their families,” commented St. Mark Principal Melissa Warner. “Our school is especially blessed with wonderful families that dedicate so much of their time and talents into organizing events that the students happily await each year. Each year’s event seems to outdo the last!” Warner added.

St. Mark School is a 2009 Nationally Recognized Blue Ribbon School of Academic Excellence and a New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) accredited school, serving students in Pre-K through Grade 8. This year, St. Mark School welcomed 88 new students and continues to attract families looking for an exceptional in-person education.

(For more information, visit www.stmarkschool.org or email contactus@stmarkschool.org.)

NEWTOWN—The faculty and students at St. Rose School have been busy learning wonderful lessons and partaking in acts of service.

The school’s “buddy teams” joined together for a Turkey Trot race and collected more than 3,500 canned goods for Faith Food Pantry in November.

The school also participated in the Knights of Columbus Coat Drive, collecting 517 coats that will bring warmth to children and adults in the community this winter.

Monsignor Bob held storytime for the preschool and kindergarten classes during the Scholastic Book Fair and the whole school celebrated the 50th day ’50’s style!

On the Feast of St. Nicholas, kindergarten and first-grade students learned about the loving saint and discovered some treats in the shoes they placed outside their classrooms.

It’s a joy to be on this learning adventure together.

About St. Rose School

St. Rose of Lima Catholic School is a Christ-centered community committed to academic excellence in an atmosphere that nurtures the spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical and moral development of each child. The dedicated staff partners with families to prepare students to be responsible leaders in a global society by fostering integrity, service and respect. By creating a sense of family where all are welcome, they encourage each child to develop his/her gifts and to become Christ’s compassionate heart and hands in the world. They center their community of learning around the four core values of respect, integrity, academic excellence and service. Their spirituality is fostered through their close connection with St. Rose of Lima church. Students attend weekly Mass and are blessed by the continual presence of Msgr. Robert Weiss and the other parish priests.

(For more information on St. Rose of Lima school, visit their website at: www.stroseschool.com.)

BRIDGEPORT—The Diocesan Schools Office has issued its 2021 Annual Report, which notes that student enrollment has increased by 11 percent this year, which is the highest increase in enrollment in decades.

Total enrollment for 2021 was 8,462 students in pre-school through high school. The diocesan system includes 19 elementary schools, five high schools and one special needs school, along with five independent Catholic schools in Fairfield County.

Dr. Steven Cheeseman, superintendent of Catholic Schools in the diocese, attributes the growth in enrollment to the strong, faith-based learning communities that helped schools remain open and responsive to students during the most difficult days of the pandemic.

“It is that gift of community that has helped our schools through the rough times caused by this pandemic. While there can be no doubt that the pandemic has challenged our schools, our leaders, teachers and families. We must acknowledge the many blessing that have come from everyone’s commitment to mission and focus on the academic success of our students,” he said.

Dr. Cheeseman also noted that the personalized learning initiative, introduced in schools prior to the pandemic, helped students and teachers overcome many obstacles and helped students achieve growth in Language and Math proficiency, while other school systems reported academic losses.

In his introductory letter to the 2021 Annual Report, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano wrote, “Teaching in any given year is a difficult task, but this past year has truly put our Catholic educators to the test, and they have met every single challenge.”

The bishop said he was deeply grateful to donors who have given generously to support innovations in Catholic education and to the teachers and administrators “for their heroic leadership that has helped ensure the healthy, safe and joy-filled learning environments so that students can grow in academics and in faith.”

Among the highlights of the report is that 100  percent of students graduate from Catholic high schools, and 99 percent go on to college or the military.

The report also features schools such as Cardinal Kung Academy (CKS) in Stamford and St. Theresa School in Trumbull that have adopted a Classical education model. The classical model of Catholic education puts Jesus Christ at its center with a curriculum that focuses on the humanities suppled with art, music and Latin coursework.

The diocesan schools’ report also introduces the Seton Collaborative, an operations support network (OSN) that will support schools with financial and information technology services. The shared service organization grew out of the 2020 Strategic Plan initiative to create expertise in running the business side of the school while freeing administrators to focus on the educational mission. Kevin Lawlor, retired executive vice president of Fairfield University, is serving as the executive director.

The report acknowledges the key role played by Foundations in Education (FIE), which has awarded $2.7 million in tuition assistance to diocesan K-8 families through the Bishop’s Scholarship Fund. The foundations (along with Foundations in Faith and Foundations in Charity) were established as part of the We Stand With Christ capital campaign. It provides innovation and leadership grants that have supported professional development and upgraded technology in the schools.

For enrollment information, contact numbers, and locations, visit the diocesan Catholic schools website:  www.dioceseofbridgeportcatholicschools.com

To read the 2021 Diocesan Catholic Schools Annual Report report in its entirety, visit: www.dioceseofbridgeportcatholicschools.com/flipbook-2021-annual-report

DANBURY—Immaculate High School announced that six students achieved perfect scores on college admissions exams. Both ACT and SAT scores are used for college admissions decisions and awarding merit-based scholarships.

Students William Doran and Zifeng Zhan received the distinguished accomplishment of a perfect 800 score on the Math SAT section. Additionally, perfect ACT scores were achieved by Caitlin Doherty (English), Calista Dudas (Reading and Writing), Kennedi Muller (Reading), and Caroline Tucker (English). In addition to congratulating each of these students, Principal Wendy Neil thanks the “remarkable dedication of faculty and staff in presenting exemplary personalized college-preparatory academic and support programs.”

Immaculate High School was recently recognized as an A+ school by NICHE, a national organization that ranks elementary through college schools based on key statistics provided by the U.S. Department of Education and parent/student reviews.  With a counselor-student ratio of 1:125 and teacher-student ratio of 1:7, Immaculate’s academic program offers a diverse college-preparatory program that includes 30 Advanced Placement, 8 dual enrollment courses and 3 certification courses, namely nursing, graphics arts and technology. Outside its academic programs, NICHE ranked the school  #16 out of 270 high schools that are “Best for Athletes.”

To learn more about the reasons why students who attend Immaculate are enjoying their college-preparatory experience and to learn more about becoming a part of its thriving community, visit immaculatehs.org.

Immaculate High School is a private, non-profit Catholic college-preparatory institution serving students from 28 communities in Connecticut and New York. Founded in 1962, Immaculate High School also allows students to focus on their spiritual development, personal moral commitments and service to others.

STAMFORD—Congratulations to Reethi Thota, a 4^th-grade student at Catholic Academy of Stamford for winning the nationwide iWrite award!

Reethi’s short story ‘Two together’ was selected to be published in the 2021 iWrite anthology ‘I Write Short Stories by Kids for Kids.’ The annual publishing contest organized by iWRITE Nonprofit organization selects 100 stories, plays songs and poetry each year for kids in 3rd to 12^th-grade.

This year, the iWRITE Nonprofit Organization offered students in the 3rd-12th grades the opportunity to submit short stories, plays, poetry, songs, and artwork to their annual publishing contest called, I Write Short Stories by Kids for Kids.

https://iwrite.org/2021-iwrite-winners/#writing-winners

About Catholic Academy of Stamford

The Catholic Academy of Stamford provides academic excellence in a nurturing, small school atmosphere. It is an environment of faith and personalized learning- both in-classroom and through robust, 100% teacher-led distance learning. It keeps students engaged, always seeking personal excellence. It helps build strong foundations for life through a supportive community, and, a lifelong love of learning, of God and of each other. The Catholic Academy of Stamford is a fully accredited Pre-K through 8^th-grade school.

(For more information, visit: www.catholicacademystamford.org)

DANBURY—Immaculate High School celebrated Veterans Day by hosting a powerfully reflective Veterans Tribute in its Bobby Plumb Gymnasium.

To prepare for the day, students researched the history of the day, created a wall of honor of family members who served in the armed forces and a hill of honor with American flags on the front lawn of the school.

The tribute included patriotic songs presented by its band and choir with reflective prayers offered by the school’s Chaplain, Deacon Jeff Font. Honored guests included Thomas J. Saadi, Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve and Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs, Colonel Tom Mertens, U.S. Army Ret., Sergeant Michael Kearns US Army Ret. and decorated 1^st Lieutenant Zach Long, U.S. Army Ret.

Keynote speaker State Commissioner Thomas J. Saadi encouraged students to make an effort to actively support veterans as a way to recognize their sacrifices. The school raised funds through its sale of American flags and presented Commissioner Saadi with a $1,160 check to support programs and services provided by the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs. The tribute concluded with students personally thanking each of the veterans.

Immaculate High School is a private, non-profit Catholic college-preparatory institution serving students from 28 communities in Connecticut and New York. Founded in 1962, Immaculate High School also allows students to focus on academic excellence, spiritual development, service to others, and personal goals. Located in Danbury, Conn., Immaculate High School is part of the Diocese of Bridgeport’s school system.

STRATFORD—Joseph “Sparky” Minar, a sixth-grade student at St. Mark School in Stratford, read a news article about United States veteran and Louisiana native Lawrence Brooks, who recently celebrated his 112th birthday. Sparky clipped the write-up about the oldest living World War II veteran and brought it into school to share with his classmates.

Sparky also brought in a birthday card and a thank you card that he suggested the class sign and mail to Brooks in an extraordinary gesture of altruism and citizenship.

The class included the following note to Lawrence Brooks:

“All of us in the 6^th grade at St. Mark School express our profound gratitude and deep appreciation for your life and service to our nation. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for your contributions to the struggle against fascism, authoritarianism, and militarism.”

“As his teacher, it gives me an unbelievable amount of pride to witness Sparky’s kindness, compassion, and patriotic spirit,” shared Matt Bonito, middle school history teacher at St. Mark School. “Sparky took the initiative of this incredible project completely on his own and our class and our school are a better place for it. I can’t wait to see how he impresses me next.”

St. Mark Principal Melissa Warner added to Bonito’s praise, “Sparky’s leadership, gratitude, and benevolence are examples of the moral character and faith development we promote at St. Mark School.”

Born in New Orleans in 1909, Brooks served as a support worker in the Army’s 91st Engineer Battalion, a majority African-American unit stationed in New Guinea and the Philippines during the war. He reached the rank of private first class.

As of 2020, only 325,574 of the 16 million who served in World War II are still alive and according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, we are losing more than 290 veterans a day.

(For more information visit: www.stmarkschool.org)

DANBURY—NICHE.com, a national group that ranks K-12 schools across the country, awarded Immaculate High School with an A+ grade and placed it as the #2 Catholic school in Fairfield County and #6 of all Catholic schools in Connecticut for the 2021-22 year.

In addition to its exemplary diverse college-preparatory academic program that includes options for over 30 Advanced Placement college level courses and professional certification programs, the student SAT scores average 1220, and recent graduating classes have earned a three-year average of $24M in college scholarships and awards. School Principal Wendy Neil shares that students are able to be successful because of the “collaborative personalized academic planning and low teacher-student ratio.” Neil attests that the recognition by NICHE is a reflection of an exceptionally caring, dedicated teaching and counseling staff.

At the school, located in the heart of Danbury, Immaculate students welcome the competitive academic and extracurricular opportunities, the faith-based learning environment, and academic support.  In addition, students affirm that there is a family atmosphere that fosters respect and responsibility. “We pride ourselves on our ability to prepare students to be critically thoughtful, intelligent, faith-filled leaders’, exclaims school President Mary Maloney. In addition, Maloney notes that the school is able to deliver a recognized meritorious program for its students while maintaining a comparatively reasonable tuition for its families.

To learn more about the reasons why students who attend Immaculate are enjoying their college-preparatory experience and to learn more about becoming a part of its thriving community, visit immaculatehs.org.

Immaculate High School is a private, non-profit Catholic college-preparatory institution serving students from 28 communities in Connecticut and New York. Founded in 1962, Immaculate High School also allows students to focus on academic excellence, spiritual development, service to others, and personal goals. Located in Danbury, Conn., Immaculate High School is part of the Diocese of Bridgeport’s school system.

NEWTOWN—Lively things are happening at St. Rose School these days. Recently we kicked off our Buddy program which is a cherished tradition and highlight of life in these halls. Older students are paired with younger students to engage in numerous events and activities throughout the year including walking together to Friday school Mass, assemblies, special events and reading activities, which is how the program kicked off this year—buddies reading together outside on a beautiful day.

On October 13, we had the Pumpkin Bowl at which the two 8^th-grade homeroom classes compete in a friendly game of flag football on the big field near the school. Homerooms choose a team color and name. This year it was yellow team LIMu EMU & Doug vs. red team Jake from State Farm. Seventh graders put on an awesome halftime show and the rest of the grades, from preschool through 6^th-grade dressed in the color of the team they were supporting and all gathered on the sidelines to cheer. It was a truly uplifting afternoon as the music played and everyone from our littlest learners to middle schoolers, faculty and parent onlookers danced and cheered. In the end Jake from State Farm won the Pumpkin trophy but everyone left the field feeling victorious from an afternoon spent together in the vibrant spirit of St. Rose School.

In art class, there are colorful lessons taking place and in 2^nd-grade science class students concluded their state of matter unit by conducting a sink or float activity. Seventh-graders in Sister Thaddeus’ Religion class gave presentations on the lives of the saints whom they have chosen for Confirmation names.

These daily discoveries help students in preschool-8th grade bloom in mind, heart and soul.

About St. Rose School

St. Rose of Lima Catholic School is a Christ-centered community committed to academic excellence in an atmosphere that nurtures the spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical and moral development of each child.

The dedicated staff partners with families to prepare students to be responsible leaders in a global society by fostering integrity, service and respect. By creating a sense of family where all are welcome, St. Rose School encourages each child to develop his/her gifts and to become Christ’s compassionate heart and hands in the world. Their learning community is centered on four core values. These are: respect, integrity, academic excellence and service.

The community’s spirituality is fostered through close connection with St. Rose of Lima Church. Students attend weekly Mass and we are blessed by the continual presence of Monsignor Robert Weiss and the other parish priests.

(For more information visit: www.stroseschool.com)

GREENWICH—Bridgeport’s Kolbe Cathedral High School hosted a “Thank You” reception for its major donors on September 9 at the Cavalier Ebanks Gallery in Greenwich. The reception featured a meet and greet with acclaimed NYC artist and Kolbe Cathedral alumnus Guy Stanley Philoche ’97. Pictured here is Mr. Philoche with KCHS Principal Camille Figluizzi after being presented with a personalized basketball jersey.

About Kolbe Cathedral

MILFORD—On October 11, Bridgeport’s Kolbe Cathedral High School hosted its first annual fundraising golf tournament at the Great River Golf Club in Milford. On a beautiful fall day, the inaugural Kolbe Cathedral Cup drew 88 golfers and raised almost $40,000 for the school. Participants included Board Chair Terry O’Connor, Treasurer Jon O’Herron, Jr. and board members Robert Aufiero, Kevin Grimes, Tom Reilly and John Sites. Also in attendance was former KCHS basketball star Chris Smith who went on to play in the NBA and is still the leading career scorer in UCONN history.

Major sponsors included the O’Herron Family Foundation, Paloian Family Foundation, Kaulbach Charitable Foundation, Maximilian Kolbe Scholarship, Trumbull Taiwan Associates, People’s United Bank and KeyBank. Major donors included Brooklawn Country Club, New Haven Country Club, Race Brook Country Club, Summit Golf Brands, Charles Nemetz, Kevin & Mary Cunningham, Jon & Andrea Maldon, Photo Bourgeoisie and Vazzy’s Restaurants.

“We are thrilled with the first-year turnout and support we received from sponsors, donors and participants,” said Rick Ryan, KCHS Director of Development. “We have always done a lot more with a lot less here at Kolbe so $40,000 will go a long way in support of our critical mission to empower our underserved students with a rigorous education and Catholic values.” The day started with lunch, then golf followed by a post-tournament reception where attendees viewed a newly-produced Kolbe Cathedral video and heard from Principal Camille Figluizzi. Subsequently, a live auction then the announcement of raffle and tournament winners concluded the day.

“Kolbe Cathedral is grateful to all participants and particularly the new friends that we made with our golf tournament,” said Principal Figluizzi, “but I’m especially proud of our students Eliana Baker, Christopher Morel and Exauce Mpoyi who volunteered their time on a day off (Columbus Day) to work at the event. I’m also thankful to the members of the Fairfield Prep and St. Joseph girls golf teams who came out to support our kids and our school.”

About Kolbe Cathedral

Kolbe Cathedral is a small, private, Catholic, college preparatory school located in the heart of Bridgeport. It was formed by the diocese in 1976 by combining Kolbe Boys HS and Cathedral Girls HS. Forty-five years later, it continues to be a much-needed beacon of hope and an instrument of personal transformation for its diverse, multicultural, co-ed student population in “the Hollow” section of the largest and poorest city in Connecticut. Our student body is 45% Black/African American, 43% Hispanic/Latino and 12% White/Asian/Other. In spite of the adverse economic and social conditions, and in stark contrast to the city’s public schools (with high dropout and non-graduation rates), Kolbe Cathedral graduates 100% of its students and boasts a near 100% college acceptance rate. Further, our success is even more impressive in light of the lowest private high school tuition in the state of $8,650 (with 99% of students receiving some sort of financial aid) which is about half of what Bridgeport and Hartford public schools spend per student and with dismal outcomes. The mantra to our students is simple and effective …”Work Hard And Be Nice.”