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Our Lady of Destiny School in Des Plaines closing next year

Our Lady of Destiny Catholic School in Des Plaines is one of nine Catholic elementary schools in Cook and Lake counties closing their doors at the end of the school year as part of a restructuring plan announced Wednesday.

The Des Plaines school is one of a handful of schools targeted for closure that will "merge students and traditions" to a nearby school - in this case, St. Zachary School, also in Des Plaines, Archdiocese of Chicago officials said.

Our Lady of Destiny, 1880 Ash St., is already the product of the consolidation of St. Mary and St. Stephen schools years ago. Officials say the latest consolidation comes in the face of continuing drops in enrollment and financial difficulties.

"The constant goal is to ensure Catholic schools remain vital," said Tom McGrath, chief operating officer for the Catholic Schools. "While we know they're difficult decisions, the end result will be a strong set of schools."

Our Lady of Destiny's current K-8 enrollment of 126 is below a 225-student benchmark the archdiocese recommends in its strategic plan.

With St. Zachary's enrollment of 166 in grades preschool through eight, Principal Catherine Determann said the school would be able to accommodate extra students.

"I have to see what everything is looking like, but I would say that it would be a good fit," Determann said.

Sister Mary Paul McCaughey, superintendent of Catholic Schools, said it's her hope the two schools will work together to provide a smooth transition.

"That is a close community in Des Plaines and we're really hoping the collaboration will deepen over the next few months," she said.

Parents picking up their children outside Our Lady of Destiny on Wednesday afternoon expressed shock and disappointment about the impending closure.

"It's terrible news," said Des Plaines resident Edward Tomlin, who has two children, ages 8 and 10, at the school. "I shopped around at other Catholic schools in the area, and this one was a great fit. I really like the smaller setting, the attention that the children get."

Konstantinos Varnasidis of Des Plaines, who has a 6-year-old child in the school, said he believes its academic program is more rigorous than the one offered at local public schools.

"I know my child's only in first grade, but already it seems like the curriculum here is - I don't know if 'advanced' is the right word - but it's very strong," he said. "I think anyone who could graduate from here would be ahead of most kids when they got to high school."

Juan Salinas of Des Plaines said parents of students at Our Lady of Destiny have a uniquely close relationship.

"I feel like I know just about everyone," he said. "Now I guess I'll have to start all over."

Sherrie Ramsden, president of the Our Lady of Destiny Parents Association, said the news about the closure was a surprise.

"We've worked hard to raise money to ensure that the school doesn't fall into debt," she said. "This is really disappointing."

Ramsden added that the school has been a special place for her two children, ages 12 and 9.

"The older kids really take care of the younger kids," she said. "The school has a wonderful, close atmosphere."

Most parents interviewed said it was too early for them to know where they will send their children to school next year. The consolidation plan would make St. Zachary, 567 W. Algonquin Road, the only Catholic elementary school remaining in Des Plaines.

Other closures announced Wednesday include St. Peter in Skokie; St. Hyacinth, St. Ladislaus, St. Turibius and St. Rene Goupil in Chicago; and St. Lawrence O'Toole in Matteson.

St. Dorothy and St. Columbanus schools are being combined to form a new school on Chicago's South Side. St. Agatha on Chicago's West Side will become an early childhood center.

In Lake County, St. James School in Highwood is closing, with students going to Holy Cross School in Deerfield.

Officials say the reconfiguration affects some 1,280 elementary students, 107 full-time teachers, 17 part-time teachers, 47 full- and part-time aides and substitutes, and 58 full- and part-time administrative and operations staffers.

Officials said they'd try to help employees find jobs at other schools in the archdiocese.

In an open letter released Wednesday, Cardinal Francis George wrote that the closings are the result of several factors, from economic struggles making private school tuition less affordable for many families to demographic changes that have led to a 15 percent decline in school-age children in many communities.

"We remain as committed as ever to Catholic education, and we believe a more appropriately sized network will enable us to strengthen our system and serve our children more effectively," he wrote. "We will not be able to maintain all schools in their current form, however."

George wrote that he needs to implement the consolidation before his planned retirement next month "because this process was initiated years ago, and many people in our archdiocese have been working hard to bring these decisions to a conclusion."

Making the decision now, he said, allows adequate time for students to transition to different schools.

"We know that disruptions in the life of any school community are difficult and painful. A school is a child's second home," George wrote. "We are committed to working with all affected families to ensure a smooth transition to a strong Catholic school alternative, and to making sure a Catholic education is an option for any family in the Chicago area that desires it."

The archdiocese operates the nation's largest parochial school system with 240 schools across Cook and Lake counties and a total enrollment of 82,000.

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