New Wauconda Catholic Middle School named Frassati Academy

Named in honor of an Italian layman whose life's mission was to help the poor, the new Catholic middle school in Wauconda will be called the Frassati Catholic Academy.

The name was announced, via taped video, by Cardinal Francis George during a ceremony at Transfiguration Catholic Parish in Wauconda on Sunday afternoon.

"An advocate for social justice, an expert in math and science, a skier and mountain climber, Frassati was more than all a man of the beatitudes," George said. "He took the gospel to heart."

More than 500 people came to the Parish Life Center to celebrate the formation of the first and only Catholic middle school in the Chicago Archdiocese. Songs, prayers and remarks by school officials marked the occasion.

Leaders from parishes Santa Maria del Popoplo in Mundelein, St. Mary of the Annunciation near Mundelein and Transfiguration in Wauconda have joined forces to create the new school for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students. About 150 children are expected to be in class when the doors open next August.

Rev. David Arcila of Santa Maria said the new school will go beyond just providing academic excellence.

"Our middle school will be the greenhouse that will grow the next generation of Christ's disciples," Rev. Arcila said. "You students will be praying with and for one another and learn to be strong Christian leaders."

The three feeder schools will keep their kindergarten through fifth-grade programs, but all middle school students will be shifting to the new facility, officials said. Classes will be held in existing buildings on Transfiguration's campus. Maroon and gold were chosen as the school colors.

Catholic school enrollment has been trending downward in recent years, according to Archdiocese statistics. There were 98,225 students enrolled in the 2006-2007 school year, compared to 93,286 in 2008-2009. Currently, there are 217 elementary schools and 39 high schools in Cook and Lake counties. Archdiocese spokesman Ryan Blackburn said the success or failure of particular schools depends on a number of factors.

"It is about the local conditions and geography," he said. "It's a mixed picture. Some areas have seen growth, others have seen decline. It comes down to leadership, academic quality and a faith element."

The Chicago Archdiocese is the largest Catholic school system in the country, Blackburn said.

Rev. Arcila left the students with a challenge. "You are pioneers," he said. "Put your whole heart and your whole soul into your education."