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Catholic diocese builds new school in Dumfries Date published: 8/23/2008
BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE
Glass trophy cases line the sleek hallways of the new Catholic high school in Dumfries. The glass shelves remain empty, save for a few artifacts from the school's namesake--rosaries and missals blessed by Pope John Paul II. But Colin Komp, a Stafford County resident who will begin his freshman year at Pope John Paul the Great Catholic High School this week, hopes to help line those shelves with trophies. He played on Holy Cross Academy's basketball team and looks forward to competing on the new school's basketball team. When Colin started at Holy Cross two years ago, there weren't many options for Catholic students after they finished at the southern Stafford school. It ends with eighth grade. Some chose to make the long trek to Bishop Ireton Catholic High School in Alexandria, often taking the Virginia Railway Express to classes every day. Some go to public schools or enroll in the local Catholic school, which is not run by the Arlington Catholic Diocese. Colin and his family knew Pope John Paul the Great was expected to open in time for his freshman year, so they planned for him to attend the Dumfries school, which is 30 minutes away "in light traffic," Colin said as he toured the new school during a blessing ceremony held Sunday. He is one of about a dozen Fredericksburg-area students who will make the commute. The school will provide a bus, which will pick up and drop off at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church in Fredericksburg. When he walks through the doors Monday, Colin will know only three other students, out of the 200 who will attend the school. "Three is enough," he shrugged. And he said that in addition to the new architecture of the school, the high-tech details and the new curriculum, which includes the only Catholic bioethics program in the nation, he is also looking forward to a new social structure. "Nothing is preset," Colin said. "You're making the culture of the school." Patricia Smith, director of counseling, will help Colin and the other students make that culture. She also commutes from Fredericksburg, a drive she has been making for about a month. The trip is a small sacrifice to be part of the school, she said.
Date published: 8/23/2008
Even with the bus, I don't see how this is practical, especially when students participate in extraschedular activities. The combination of tuition and gas prices will be a drain on parents' wallets. There may have been a time for Catholic schools when Protestantism was taught in Public Schools and nuns provided a cheap labor source, but that time is past and the Church would be better off concentrating its efforts on the poor.
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