In his State of the School address, Saint Albert the Great Principal Ed Vittardi noted how the Wallings Road parochial school will not stay great but aim to always be greater.
It’s a play on words that very much rings true for the twice recognized Blue Ribbon National School of Excellence that continues its position as one of very few schools within the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland to show growth at more than 99 percent capacity. The average Catholic school in the diocese has approximately 279 students, Vittardi noted, whereas this academic year kicked off with 914 enrolled students at Saint Albert the Great School.
Before Vittardi gave his address, Pastor Edward Estok greeted the audience and noted Vittardi’s dedication to his role as principal. He also urged families gathered to not let the physical walls of the school building be the stopping point in practicing and living the Catholic faith within their families and community.
The address opened with a message that Vittardi gave to his staff at the start of the school year, to “Rise and Reach,” a building philosophy to always keep moving forward. He invited the new school families and new staff members to stand and be recognized, and voiced appreciation for members of the PTO Board, the STREAM 2020 Committee, and the School Advisory Council, which serves as a sounding board to address the parish master plan and revenue/tuition modifications among other valuable topics. The Student Council Board was also recognized, and President Adam Crandall presented a speech outlining this year’s accomplishments.
The school maintains its focus on “The Big C’s,” a range of words that all culminate in the culture of Saint Albert the Great School. Some of these include: Compassion, Care and Concern, Catholicity, Cohesiveness, Communion, Climate and Creativity. Vittardi touched on a number of ways staff and students give life and meaning to these action words.
Math instruction has been increased to 80 minutes per day for students in kindergarten through fourth grade and the school continues to have strong focus in the safety and security of students. After-school activities continue to increase in membership and creation, many in the STEM category. Thirty-three percent of graduating eighth graders went on to public high schools this year and 30 percent of graduating eighth graders enrolled at Padua. Saint Ignatius and Magnificat both netted nine percent each of graduating eighth graders.
In the way of finances, Vittardi noted how Saint Albert the Great remains the lowest tuition school in the diocese. The school is supported by four sources of funds, including tuition, parish support, public funds and PTO raised funds, which also contributes significantly to lowering tuition. The school spends more than $5,500 on educating each student, Vittardi said.
“The Cleveland area Diocesan average tuition in the 2018-19 school year was $4,824 per student while Saint Albert the Great was $2,350, meaning the average diocesan school tuition is more than twice our tuition,” Vittardi said. “Our lowest tuition in the diocese puts us in a category by ourselves as the only school with tuition under $2,500. More than 92 percent are over $3,000. The greatest portion of schools, 51 percent, reside in the group of schools charging more than $4,000 or more again from 2018-19 data.”
Recognitions made up another area of Vittardi’s address, as he highlighted the accomplishments of the school, its staff and students. More than 77 percent of students earned the Principal, Honor or Merit rolls last year and an impressive 12 eighth graders graduated having earned straight A’s for their entire K-8 education at Saint Albert the Great. Ninety-eight percent of eighth graders received their choice of high school and graduates received more than $750,000 in high school scholarships.
The school earned the Ohio Department of Education Purple Star Award for commitment to military students and families. Vittardi noted, too, that more than 2,000 people participated in the annual Parish Service Day, which is coming up again Oct. 11 and 12.
Students at Saint Albert the Great again have a multitude of opportunities to participate in STEM activities. There are also several new electives including master gardening, creative cutting, entrepreneurship, video production and editing, stock market and dance. Vittardi also provided a brief update on the progress being made in the school’s partnership with Assumption Academy in Broadview Heights, noting that enrollment there is up, preschool has been added, security measures have improved along with a renovated library space, new math options and a collection of more improvements and upgrades.
By SARA MACHO HILL
Contributing Writer