As a first year teacher at Saint Joseph Catholic School, I can easily look back and reflect on my life since I arrived in Pine Bluff nearly one year ago. If I add up the sum total of everything I have learned, everything I have seen and everything I have experienced, I arrive at one immutable conclusion about this town, and that is: St. Joseph’s Catholic School is Pine Bluff’s best kept secret. And sadly, the best kept secret in Pine Bluff may soon become a distant memory.
As I drove along I-30 in the hot summer of 2011, I began seriously contemplating my decision to move to Pine Bluff where I would be teaching and coaching seventh- through 12th-graders at St. Joseph Catholic School. My reservations were mainly brought about by the perception that the rest of the country holds of Pine Bluff, namely, that Pine Bluff is a high crime, low economy town. Uncertain what to expect, my mind began to tell me to turn around and go to graduate school, but something encouraged me to keep going and see this place called Pine Bluff, and most importantly, that encouragement allowed me to discover what St. Joseph Catholic School is all about. What I found completely amazed me.
Tucked away in the safe, wooded area of West 73rd Ave. is a small, two-building school almost hidden as though it were an academic secret, a buried jewel of scholasticism. It is a school where I, a displaced Yankee, was called “Sir” for the first time by respectful students; a school where students seem eager to learn in class and excited to participate on the battlefields of sports; a school where motivated teachers push the kids to do their best; and it is, in a most profound way, the kind of school where I wished I had gone as a youngster. But in spite of the many positives, all is not well at St. Joseph’s.
It is a shame when a store goes bankrupt. It is disheartening to find out a home has been foreclosed. It is sad to hear when someone loses his job. But it is a heinous crime when a good school is forced to shut its doors. When I drive down Olive Street, I can’t help but notice the ramifications of Pine Bluff’s economy. I see the boarded up stores and the abandoned houses, and I know that the only way to truly save this town is through GOOD EDUCATION. We, the citizens of Pine Bluff, must band together to save a good school. St. Joseph Catholic School is in its most desperate hour. We need to raise $200,000 and up our enrollment to 60 students for next year or the school will be forced to close. This is a good school, and it is worth saving.
Not only do we have a nearly 100 percent graduation rate, but we also have sent our seniors off with millions of dollars in scholarships over the few years we have been open. Not only are we the only college prep school between here and Little Rock, but we are also fully technologically integrated with the latest in teaching devices including SmartBoards. Not only do we use rigorous standards in selecting our curriculum to be challenging while conforming to our ANSAA accreditation, but we also exceed the state and national test averages at St. Joseph’s. Not only do we offer eight different sports and dozens of various clubs, but we also have a low teacher-to-student ratio to give more complete attention to individual students so that all of their academic needs can be met.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Most importantly, St. Joseph is a Catholic school that provides core values and a Christian atmosphere. Few people know that the word Catholic means universal. All are welcome. We have so many different faiths at our school: Baptist, Buddhist, Jewish, Evangelical, Muslim, and nondenominational. Only about one-sixth of our school is Catholic. The goal at our school is not ever to convert, but rather, we are called to make each student be the best they can be in their faith, whatever that faith may be. We feel that is the true mission of the Church, to welcome all faiths.
St. Joseph’s in Pine Bluff must remain open. Education is such a vital part of this community, and we can all ill afford to see St. Joseph become a memory. We need to allow for parents to have options for their kids and where they want to send them to school. Please come to 1501 W. 73rd and enroll your son or daughter in our school today. Or donate to our cause either by donating at the school or online at www.sjcpinebluff.com.
I ask you to open your hearts to St. Joseph’s, the best kept secret in Pine Bluff.