More News

A mixture of open houses, parent involvement and faith prompted St. Hugh of Grenoble school officials to keep the Greenbelt school open for another year.

On March 31, Father Walter Tappe of St. Hugh of Grenoble Parish and Principal Tiffani James shared their concern that the school would not remain open due to low enrollment and a large graduating class. Students hail from throughout the county including Beltsville, Berwyn Heights, Bowie, Greenbelt and Laurel.

Since then, the kindergarten through eighth-grade school has held open houses to educate interested parents about their Catholic philosophy of education, and parents have been working together to distribute fliers and post signs in their yard.

After consulting with the parish and school and being assured of their commitment to the school, Tappe said he was confident that St. Hugh would remain open for years to come.

"We have a very fine program," Tappe said. "We're just tucked away in Old Greenbelt and a lot of people don't know we're here. We feel that once people hear about us they'll want to send their children here."

St. Hugh is planning to hold more open houses, the next of which will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on May 27. They are also accepting students throughout the summer, though most parents "usually have these types of things figured out by the end of May," James said.

Berwyn Heights resident Karen Lannon said she attended an open house last year where she learned about the parish and the school, which her first-grade daughter Ella currently attends and where her daughter Lucy will begin kindergarten in the fall.

"Academically, [Ella] is doing great," Lannon said. "It's really nice that there's one class per grade."

Lannon volunteered at St. Hugh's face painting booth at Saturday's fifth annual Green Man Festival, where parents also distributed information on future open houses.

Besides the open house and parent's marketing efforts, some parishioners have committed to helping the school financially.

"One thing that really helped us go forward was the response from the parishioners," Tappe said. "Quite a number of people who don't have children in the school have volunteered to help us out financially."

Despite the positive turnout, there's only one thing that Tappe relies on.

"I have faith," Tappe said. "And hope."