MIRACLE ON THE HILL
5 YEARS AFTER IT WAS TO CLOSE, BONNER & PRENDIE IS THRIVING
UPPER DARBY >> Monsignor Bonner & Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School had a huge reason to celebrate this week. In the past five years, over 1,000 students have graduated, and successfully continued onto colleges, trades schools and the military. Those same students may never have received a diploma from Bonner & Prendie, if fate had gone in a different direction on Feb. 24, 2012.
The Bonner& Prendie (B&P) community was devastated halfa-decade ago when the archdiocese-appointed Blue Ribbon Commission recommended closure for Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast high schools, along with St. Hubert, West Catholic and Conwell-Egan High Schools. Most expected a recommendation that the two schools on the Hill in Drexel Hill be merged, not closed.
Just seven weeks later, after non-stop appeals, emergency fundraising and extreme emotions, on Feb. 24, 2012, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput made the eagerly anticipated announcement that Bonner & Prendie, along with the other three archdiocesan high schools, would remain open. The video clip of the students, cheering and crying in joy, as they heard the good news, went viral in minutes as the throngs of alumni and alumnae of Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High Schools and others viewed the heart-tugging, emotional scene. The 201112 school year had been a tense,
highly emotional roller coaster for students, faculty, administrators, parents and alumni, that fortunately ended on a positive, upbeat note.
Fast forward to Feb. 24, 2017, and the scene was quite different at Bonner & Prendergast. Visitors could almost feel the school spirit in the air. Students talked and laughed as they strolled the hallways after classes, hurrying to after-school activities. Basketball practice was in full swing in the gym and students were rehearsing for the upcoming play “Willy Wonka,” slated for March 24, 25, 26, 31 and April 1. Students sat casually on benches in the lobby, working on homework, or stood in offices talking to faculty. More than 800 students fill the hallways during the current 2016-17 school year.
John Cooke, president of Bonner&Prendie, and Scott Fremont (Class of ’98), director of institutional advancement, reflected back on all the changes that have taken place in the past five years and discussed their vision and excitement for the school’s future.
Cooke, who has been in the school’s top leadership position for almost two years, said, “Everyone is always asking us, ‘What’s going on with the future of the school?’ or another question that reflects uncertainty about our future. We want to reassure the community that Bonner&Prendie has never been stronger and more vibrant than it is today. We’re in a very good place right now and with the same continued strong support going forward that we currently have, we are looking at a long and successful future.”
The non-profit organization, Faith in the Future, was established in 2012 to support the development of Archdiocese of Philadelphia schools. Faith in the Future was placed in strategic and operational control of 22 schools throughout the archdiocese, combining a new managerial direction with aggressive fundraising. Since its implementation, enrollment stabilized for the first time in a decade, and eventually began to grow. The merged Bonner&Prendie is one of those growing schools.
Last February, Bonner&Prendie switched to a new system-wide form of school governance, going from an informal board of advisers that was in place since 2012 to a formal board of directors. The 17-member board consists of alumni, local religious, business and school leaders and former parents who report directly to Cooke. The system is similar to the style of government at colleges and universities. Selected in conjunction with the Archdiocesan Office of Catholic Education and the Faith in the Future Foundation, the board of directors uses the expertise, experience and knowledge of its members to help president Cooke and his administration, faculty and staff, sustain and implement its mission, vision and strategic current and long-term plans. Currently, the board is led by co-chairs Pat Welde, Class of ’81, and Michael Curry, Class of ’75.
“Having a governing board replace the advisory board has really made a difference in our school,” Fremont explained. “The board accelerated the tuition structural changes, helped to develop college partnerships and reestablished home football games. It has only been in place since last year and it has made quite a dramatic impact already.”
Bonner&Prendie has invested more than $1,500,000 into capital and physical improvements over the past five years. The campus is now wireless and has SmartBoards in every classroom. Every student is given an iPad mini to use. Improvements have been made to the offices, athletic fields, guidance center, hallways and parking lots. The Dominic J. Frederico Gymnasium was renovated in 2015 and the Anthony F. Frederico Class of 1969 Auditorium has been brought up to state-ofthe-art condition, with new seating, flooring, ceiling, lighting, stage doors, curtains and more. When the curtain goes up on Roald Dahl’s “Willy Wonka” on March 24, it will be the school’s very first play in the new auditorium.
In another innovative move, Bonner& Prendie introduced RealCollege, establishing a unique partnership with six local universities, to provide juniors and seniors with access to college-level courses and credits at a fraction of the cost that would be charged to post-high school individuals. The program enables students, with an average of 85 or above, to get a jumpstart on their college education, and helps to ease some of the
future higher education financial burden by offering participation in classes taught by college professors right at Bonner & Prendie. All three-credit courses are transferable, and students can choose whether those credits count as dual enrollment at a college of their choice or earned as separate credits for another university in their future plans. Participating colleges and universities include Rosemont, Neumann, Cabrini, Chestnut Hill, Harcum and Immaculata.
Another major change that came to B&P in the past few years is the restructuring of tuition. The “one cost” all-inclusive tuition now includes all activity fees, school fees and other costs that previously were billed separately. For the 2017-18 school year, the Office of Catholic Education set the base tuition for all Archdiocesan Catholic High Schools at $7,350. In addition to the base, B&P charges a $1,500 fee that includes all school fees and a co-curricular fee. This brings the total tuition cost for the B&P 2017-18 school year to $8,850.
The move toward an allinclusive tuition fee was made due to opinions by parents and students who said the added fees deterred student involvement in sports and extra-curricular activities. The new tuition structure has had a dramatic effect. According to Cooke and Fremont, more students than ever before are now participating in sports and clubs, and attendance has increased significantly at athletic sporting events which are now admission free to all students. The tuition not only covers participation in sport and clubs and attendance at school athletic, dance and drama events, but it also now covers yearbook, art and music fees, fundraising, testing and book fees, parking, technology and other things that formerly had small fees of their own.
“The impact of our new tuition structure was immediate and dramatic,” Fremont remarked. “The number of students attending our dances, plays and athletic events, as well as participating in other extracurricular activities, has at least doubled. The new tuition structure allows students to do it all, play multiple sports, clubs, whatever interests them, without worrying if their family can afford it. For example, last year we had 150 students at our fall dance. This year, we had 450 students attend. And last year, 40 student athletes ran track. In the current school year, the number doubled to 80.”
The Board of Directors can see in numbers how the changes have positively affected the student body. Last year, graduating seniors in the Class of 2016 earned a total of $300,000,000 in college scholarships, with 98 percent of students gaining acceptance to two- and fouryear schools, including prestigious schools like Princeton, Columbia, Swarthmore, Notre Dame, Georgetown, United States Naval Academy, West Point and University of Pennsylvania.
Although enrollment is just slightly over 800, down from 965 in 2012, administrators seem optimistic with the numbers.
“Enrollment of 800 is a good base, with room to grow,” Fremont stated. “The number allows students to get an extreme amount of individualized personal attention and this really helps to guide and enhance their future.”
Recruitment and marketing efforts at B&P have been enhanced by the involvement of local parish CYOs in athletic events, reinstituting home football games and encouraging involvement in other activities at the high school. Students are already familiar with B&P by the time they reach eighth grade and are looking at high schools. Online student applications, a more aggressive timeline for financial aid and scholarships and targeted personal outreach have led to an increase in student interest. The admission process has become more convenient , streamlined and personalized for students, Fremont explained, which has also helped to grow enrollment numbers.
“Our actual numbers for open house attendance and rate of students shadowing for a day are already 10-15 percent more than we projected for this year,” Fremont said.
Applications, on-campus visitors, open house attendees and scholarship test takers have increased annually. The next open house is slated for 12-2 p.m. Sunday, March 26. B&P continues to have one of the highest prospective student visitor conversion rates of all 17 high schools. In other words, once a prospective student visits the school and sees it up close and personal, he or she will likely apply or attend. The Board of Directors works closely with the BLOCS and Pennsylvania’s OSTC/EITC Tax Credit Program to increase scholarship money available to students which also helps to attract more students who desire a Catholic high school education. Tuition assistance and financial aid in the form of academic scholarships, awards, and needbased grants exceeded 20 million in the 2016-17 school year.
B&P currently has 31 sports teams, with 29 competing at varsity level, and 36 co-curricular clubs and activities. The school puts on two musical productions and two drama productions each year. However, perhaps the activity of which the school is proudest, is its community service.
“We are committed to the development of the complete person in the service of others,” explained Fremont. “Our kids do tons of community service. The experience makes them grow as caring and compassionate individuals. Every year, our community service participation numbers go up.”
The mini-THON, an afternoon/evening of dancing, eating, fun, and unusual contests, held in early February to raise funds to fight childhood cancer through the Four Diamonds organization, raised $22,000. According to Fremont, participation went from 110 students last year to 310 this year.
To teach the value and dignity that comes from service to others, B&P has partnered with local parishes, as well as Operation Santa Claus, Feed My Starving Children, Philabundance, the Spanish Apostolate, Don Guanella Village and other charitable organizations to offer countless volunteer hours of service.
Like many schools, B& P has a high legacy rate. Not only did many of the parents of students attend B&P, but many of the faculty and staff are also former alums, including Principal James Strandberg, Class of 1997. Out of the current 79 faculty/staff members, 30 have graduated from B&P. The high school also is proud of its diversity, with a population of 70% white, 30% African-American and 10% Latino, Asian and other nationalities. Students come from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds and include Catholics and non-Catholics, although theology class is mandatory for all students.
Although the former Monsignor Bonner High School and Archbishop Prendergast High School merged together to form B&P, many of the single-gender traditions are still kept alive. Most of the school operates out of the Bonner building, although the Prendergast building is still used for student retreats, special events and other occasions. Holy Family University, Neumann and Cabrini teach satellite master’s degree classes there. According to Cooke, the Monsignor Bonner building was chosen as the main site for the merged school, strictly because of its functionality and lower operational costs.
B& P continues to keep theology, homeroom, gym and health as single gender classes. As one school with two traditions, Ring Masses and Baccalaureate Masses are still kept genderseparate, as are other traditions like the annual Prendergast Singing on the Stairs, the annual fashion show, the Father-Son Mass and Lunch, the Mother-Son Mass and Dance and the MotherDaughter Brunch. When the Friars and Pandas merged together, they adopted the new school colors of garnet, green and gold. Some alumni/alumnae reunions are kept single-gender while others are combined, such as the always-popular, wellattended annual Beach Blast at the Jersey shore.
B&P Catholic High School continues to drive its development to insure its continued healthy financial picture into a long future. The largest unrestricted giving fund is the B&P Annual Appeal which drew in a record-breaking 1.2 million last year, topping the average 700,000 raised in other years. The “Week of Giving” is patterned after the time period in 2012 when alumni and friends were successfully rallied through social media to donate to save the school in only a few weeks.
In addition to the recent “Week of Giving,” B&P will hold its 28th annual Friar Fest Saturday, March 4 at Springfield Country Club. Tickets cost $75 and include hors d’oeuvres, dinner, open bar and entertainment. The night begins with a silent auction at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner and a live auction at 8 p.m. For tickets, contact Georgine Rickards at 610-259-0280, ext. 3230 or e-mail Rickards@ bonnerprendie.com/. This year’s theme Phever.”
“All money we raise impacts Bonner & Prendie directly,” Fremont stated. “The buck stops here. It doesn’t go out to the Archdiocese and get funneled back to us. Rather, it stays with us from the very beginning.”
Both Cooke and Fremont talked about dozens of other factors that make B&P proud of a history that spans seven decades and excited about its future, including its Christ-centered mission, its Augustinian influence, its 11 AP course offerings, its daily Masses, the school’s role in the life of Father Bill Atkinson, O.S.A. whose two miracles have put him closer to sainthood canonization, and its overall commitment to being a distinctive community of learners rooted in the Gospel of Christ. B&P is also extremely proud of its alumni, Fremont explained. The 61-year-old school has had over 50,000 graduates.
“Our alumni have given back to us in time, treasure and talent,” Fremont said. “Most of them realize the value of a BonnerPrendie faith-based wellrounded quality education and they’re enthused to give that experience to others. We count on the continued support of our former students, families and friends.”
“We are stronger than ever,” Cooke added. “We offer a top-notch education in an environment of respect and welcoming acceptance, that’s committed to the development of the whole person. We will continue our decades-long tradition of offering young men and women the tools they need to succeed in a challenging and forever-changing world.” is “Philadelphia