CATHOLIC EDUCATION Sts. Peter and Paul set to close in June

The school raised tuition to try to meet costs.
WARREN -- A 49-year tradition of Catholic education is coming to an end.
Sts. Peter and Paul School, Belvedere Avenue, will close at the end of the school year in June.
Principal Sister Margaret Mary said the school raised tuition to $1,000 for 2005-06 to try to stay open but that only 65 pupils registered.
"The parish advisory council wanted us to have at least 100," she said.
The principal sent letters to parents this week informing them of the closure. Pupils participated in an assembly with a prayer service Thursday morning where the closing was discussed.
"They were told that we're sad that the school has to end but to remember the good things," Sister Margaret Mary said.
The school, which houses pupils in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, started 2004-05 with 107 pupils. Twelve teachers work at the school.
"Next year would have been our 50th jubilee," she said.
Letter to parents
In the letter to parents, the principal touts the incorporation of technology into the school's curriculum, the high standardized test scores and the availability of foreign language classes for the pupils.
She also thanked the groups involved in fund raising over the last year to try to help the school.
"Everyone is sad," Sister Margaret Mary said.
Special activities for pupils will be planned as the end of the school year nears, she said.
The children will write essays detailing their best memories of the school, and the one judged the best in each class will receive a prize.
For many who attend, the school was a family tradition, the sister said.