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ALSO COVERING AUBURNDALE, COLLEGE POINT, DOUGLASTON, GLEN OAKS, FLORAL PARK
• LITTLE NECK LEDGER
• WHITESTONE TIMES
July 24-July 30, 2020
STUDENTS, PARENTS RALLY TO KEEP ST. MEL’S
CATHOLIC ACADEMY IN FLUSHING OPEN FOR ALL
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
For the past week, it has
been a rollercoaster ride for
students and parents at St.
Mel’s Catholic Academy in
Flushing as they continue to
fight to keep the school open
for all students.
About 100 parents and students
took to the streets on
July 17 near St. Mel’s Catholic
Academy, located at 154-24 26th
Ave., protesting to save grades
4 through 8, as they scramble
to find a new school for their
children who they say have
been displaced.
“We are grateful that St.
Mel’s will remain open for
younger students, but for the
older students, it’s like they’re
being thrown out and pushed
to the side, and families aren’t
going to realistically go to two
different buildings to bring
their kids to school if they can
all be together in one place,”
said Alie Ziraschi, a parent
of three daughters — ages 4, 7
and 10 — who attend St. Mel’s.
Although St. Mel’s Catholic
Academy will no longer
exist in its current form, the
school announced the opening
of its early childhood center
program — consisting of nursery,
pre-K, kindergarten and
grades 1 through 3 — in September,
continuing to serve
children in Flushing, Bayside,
St. Mel’s Catholic Academy students protest to keep schools open for children in grades 4 through 8.
Whitestone and College Point.
“In the midst of that sorrow
came some joy and we were
able to use the school’s fund
balance — since we pay our
bills and tuition — to keep the
early childhood center here,”
Father Joseph Fonti told
QNS. “I’ve only been here for
a year and I’ve fallen in love
with the children and their
families. The march generated
from parents was a demonstration
of love and loyalty for the
school. I think it’s a natural response
because they want the
best for their children, and I
want the best for them, too.”
It’s a small victory for St.
Mel’s, which was one of 20
Catholic schools around the
city scheduled to close in August
due to financial strains
of the COVID-19 pandemic,
according to the Diocese of
Brooklyn’s July 9 announcement.
The schools have seen a
decline of enrollment over the
last five years, but the registration
Photo by Sarah Ferrara
totals for the upcoming
school year are down significantly,
largely due to the
massive unemployment and
loss of business that has resulted
from the pandemic, the
Diocese said in its statement to
parents.
Ziraschi was in a state of
“complete utter shock” when
she read the email sent by the
Diocese, she said.
“It really took my breath
away hearing that news and
seeing that email because it
came out of nowhere,” Ziraschi
said. “At the timing of
it, it was terrible because of
the COVID-19 issue and situation
— the kids haven’t been
in school since March and
didn’t have any closure to the
school year as it was … and
now to have their school out of
nowhere closed, it’s just shocking
to us.”
Ziraschi is choosing to
keep her two younger children
at St. Mel’s, even if she has to
find a new school for her older
daughter, who is entering
sixth grade in September.
During a virtual zoom
meeting on July 13 with Thomas
Chadzutko, superintendent
of schools, Ziraschi said it was
a “slap in the face” to families
who were muted and not given
the opportunity to speak.
“Only certain questions
were answered in the chat forum
and the meeting abruptly
came to an end,” Ziraschi
said.
In response, Ziraschi initiated
an online petition that
has amassed 2,464 signatures
thus far to keep the school
open for all students who have
committed by registering for
the 2020-2021 school year.
In a statement to QNS, the
Diocese of Brooklyn said St.
Mel’s is closing due to low enrollment.
Read more on QNS.com.
Vol. 86 No. 30 32 total pages
2021
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