During our meeting on August 6th, we had the pleasure of welcoming Assistant Governor Mark Clark to our club. He graciously shared his plans to visit us quarterly and expressed a keen interest in membership growth and addressing food insecurity. His enthusiasm for engaging in our projects promises to enrich our collective efforts significantly.
The evening's keynote speaker was Tom Fertal from Holy Cross High School, who provided enlightening insights into the transformative shifts within the Catholic education system. He illustrated how the decline in religious staff, who traditionally taught without requiring salaries, has led to a reliance on lay teachers and, consequently, a significant increase in tuition fees. He noted that this shift has seen enrollment drop from five million to just over one million students nationwide, forcing many schools to close. Despite these challenges, Holy Cross High School stands out with its robust educational and financial health, continuing to thrive in these changing times.
The meeting concluded on a festive note as we celebrated Dick Matthew’s birthday, with everyone thoroughly enjoying the camaraderie and the insightful discussions of the evening.
