By Elizabeth Wulfhorst
MIDDLETOWN – Seven years after a group of alumni and parents successfully saved Mater Dei Prep from closing, the Catholic high school will succumb to declining enrollment and financial shortfalls this June, shuttering for good. The school has been an option for families in the Bayshore area desiring a small, religious-based education for 61 years.
Kathryn A. McLaughlin, chair of the Mater Dei Prep Board of Trustees, penned a letter to parents, alumni and supporters which arrived unexpectedly in email inboxes Monday. In it she expressed “great sadness” that the school will close its doors at the end of the school year. McLaughlin is a 1972 graduate of the school.
Mater Dei Prep was previously a parish school run by St. Mary’s in Middletown. The school’s campus sits on church property which it also shares with St. Mary School, a Catholic elementary school that is not closing.
In February 2015, the church announced the school’s closure for the first time. Massive fundraising efforts and the successful creation of a nonprofit to separate the school from the parish and Diocese of Trenton kept it open. But despite offering award-winning programs in the arts, government, health and more, enrollment declined to its lowest point (220 students) and fundraising stagnated – in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic – once again putting the school in a precarious situation.
“The fact is that we simply do not have the funds to continue school operations after this academic year,” McLaughlin said in a release sent to media outlets May 9. According to that release, the board made the decision to close “after deep deliberation and amid continued support for Mater Dei Prep.”
Up until last week the school had been operating as if it would be open in the fall, even announcing the hiring of a new football coach to reestablish varsity football for the 2022-23 season. MDP dropped varsity football after coach Dino Mangiero left to coach at Archbishop McCarthy High School in Florida; many players transferred following his decision, leaving the program unable to field a varsity team.
Peggy Schleimer, the parent of a current MDP junior who transferred into the school this year, said parents and students were shocked by the announcement. “Nobody knew anything,” said Schleimer, who found out through a Facebook post because she hadn’t checked her email.
She said the students and parents are “devastated” but fears there is no recourse. “I wish we could do what was done last time, but people don’t even seem to be gravitating that way,” she said, noting there was a Facebook post about rallying for fundraising efforts that didn’t seem to be getting much traction.
“The economics have changed so drastically in the last seven years. I think people were able to do more than they can do right now,” she said.
The National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) publishes an annual statistical report on Catholic elementary and secondary schools in the United States. According to its research, Catholic school enrollment peaked in the 1960s, declined in the ’70s and ’80s, but saw steady increases through 2000, despite the continued closing of schools. Since 2010 nearly 1,000 Catholic schools across the country have closed and student enrollment declined by over 21%.
However, NCEA reported the largest recorded increase in enrollment – 3.8% – and the first in the past two decades, for the 2021-22 school year. But that came on the heels of the largest decline ever reported – 6.4% – from 2019 to 2020, due in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mater Dei Prep’s enrollment decreased nearly 27% from 2018 to today. Currently over half a million students attend 1,173 Catholic secondary schools nationwide.
“Despite our best efforts, we cannot bridge the annual operational gap of over $1 million,” McLaughlin said. “We concluded that further cuts would only compromise the quality of education for which Mater Dei Prep is known. The steady decline in enrollment, along with increasing expenses and the ongoing financial assistance we provide to our families has made this closure unavoidable.”
The release said the administration and faculty would work with parents and students “to make the necessary arrangements for transfers to other regional Catholic high schools.”
Over its six decades, Mater Dei Prep awarded over 8,000 diplomas to students who have gone on to dedicated careers in many fields.
The Two River Times reached out to some from the
MDP community to get their reaction to the announcement.
“To say I am sad about Mater Dei closing is an understatement in every way. It breaks my heart like anything that’s loved, and fought for, but lost. I feel most sad for the current students but I hope they know how blessed they were to have been there for even one year. I am so grateful to have lived and learned in those halls. And while the halls will be empty my heart will always be full of gratitude for the wonderful friendships fostered and happy memories that remain – that make me forever Seraph true.”
Cathy Daniels, Class of ’79
“My son, Griffin Cole, transferred his sophomore year and MDP became his new home. His next three years there were magic. Between the Seraph Players (the MDP performing arts group) with Cindy Dwyer, track with Mike Tursi, and all his teachers, he had the most wonderful high school experience. MDP was a life changer, not just for him, but for so many kids that walked through its doors.”
Sherrie Cole, parent and Mater Dei Prep
Performing Arts Coordinator
“My heart breaks for all the current students, faculty and staff. It’s hard to put into words what this school has meant for my family and me. My parents met there, and many of my aunts, uncles and cousins called Mater Dei home over the years. I think it’s cool that my brother and I were able to help carry on that tradition. Mater Dei provided me with opportunities in the classroom, on the playing field, and within the community that helped shape me into who I am today – and for that, I am forever grateful for my time as a Seraph.”
Maggie Klatt, valedictorian, Class of ’16
“Mater Dei is a very special place. For a small, parochial academy, the percentage of success stories, whether career or personal, is remarkably high. All the while, the community has stayed so close and supportive. Mater Dei is an extra special place for me, as my brother Danny Rapolla was a beloved teacher, coach and friend at the school. And in his short time here, he has had such an impact on so many in the Mater Dei community. The Mater Dei family never lets me forget that. Mater Dei made a permanent impression in the spirit of so many, and in this area. Therefore, its legacy will live on.”
Joe Rapolla, Class of ’79, chair of the Monmouth University
Department of Music & Theatre Arts
“It is difficult to put into words the loss regarding the closing of the school. It was in this building the Global Institute resided, exploring infinite possibilities to peace. Just this past month students developed and presented two workshops in partnership with UN NGO Pathways To Peace on women’s initiatives to a global audience at the United Nations. These were young leaders leading a presentation on sustainable solutions regarding climate change and gender equality to world dignitaries and representatives. This is what was happening within the walls of this building. It was not just a place to attend classes, it was a place where your voice mattered and change was within your grasp.”
George Anthony, parent and director
of the Global Leaders program
“Mater Dei was the foundation in life for myself and my six siblings who attended the school. Monsignor Bulman (who founded the school) made it possible for families, like ours, who believed a Catholic education was vital in establishing core values to be welcomed into a wonderful community known as Mater Dei.”
Danny Harper, Class of ’77
“The Global Leaders Institute at Mater Dei Prep completely changed my life. The first week of my freshman year, I was given the opportunity to attend the International Day of Peace conference at the United Nations. Since that moment back in 2016 I have come back time and again to the experiences and opportunities that the program has provided me. I frequently reflect on the lessons I learned under George Anthony. The program inspired me to pursue political science and international relations in college, driving me to learn all that I can about the world around me. I am devastated that Mater Dei Prep is closing and the Global Leaders Institute will no longer be continuing there.”
Elizabeth Sheridan, Class of ’20,
rising senior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
“Like everyone else, I was saddened to hear the news that Mater Dei was closing. My family has had three generations of affiliation with Mater Dei. My father was an original booster member since its inception in 1961. I, along with my siblings, attended Mater Dei through the ’60s and ’70s, and more recently my children from 2008 through 2016. The education we received was second to none. I have many friendships that were developed at the school 50 years ago that are still intact. It was a much-needed institution in the Bayshore area and will be sorely missed. I am saddened by the fact that future generations will not be afforded the same opportunity many of us still cherish to this day.”
Joseph Buzzanco, D.M.D., Class of ’78
The article originally appeared in the May 12 – 18, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
