Alaska’s Catholic schools offer part-time options

CatholicAnchor.org

Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Anchorage are exploring ways to expand their classes beyond traditional full time students.

The idea is to give students greater options in Catholic education, said Holy Rosary principal Catherine Neumayr, whose K-12 school in Midtown Anchorage has been enrolling students, often homeschoolers, on a part-time basis for the past three years.

For example, Neumayr said, “sometimes, homeschool parents just don’t feel equipped to teach calculus.” Or perhaps they’d like their child to benefit from a theology class taught by a seasoned instructor.

Part-timers at Holy Rosary can take from one to four classes without being enrolled at the school full-time. Tuition is pro-rated, and if a student takes over three classes they can be considered for financial aid. A full-time day is seven classes.

The 7th-12th grade Lumen Christi High School is gearing up to offer similar opportunities, said principal John Harmon. Their program will begin in January.

Harmon said many students who may be home-schooled, in a correspondence study program, or part-time at a public school, are interested in classes like advanced math, theology and laboratory sciences. For example, he said, students at Lumen Christi will be dissecting a pig in a laboratory — a learning experience that might not be possible at home.

Lumen Christi school board president Matt Fagnani said the board’s decision to allow part-time students “clearly meets the faith-based objectives” of the school.

“Anchorage is a very diverse community and we recognize that education is not a one-size-fits-all approach,” Fagnani explained. Lumen’s goal is to “have as many students attend as possible and have a fulfilling high school experience. So students who meet the entry requirements, whether they attend public school or home school, are welcome at Lumen Christi.”

Neumayr said it’s a win-win situation. It helps the school boost enrollment, and it also brings a greater pool of students into extracurricular activities like music, drama and sports. Part-timers are encouraged to participate in these activities at Holy Rosary at no extra cost beyond the normal athletic extracurricular fees, she said.

“It enlarges their world, but also the world of our full-time students.

“And it builds strong friendships in the parishes and strengthens the entire Catholic community in the diocese,” she added, by bringing Catholic homeschoolers and their parents into contact with students and parents in the more traditional school environment.

The part-time classes are not limited to Catholics, either at Lumen Christi or at Holy Rosary.

Neumayr reports a Mormon student took classes at Holy Rosary in apologetics and morality. And students come from as far as Wasilla. Holy Rosary’s program began with three part-timers and now has 15. Lumen Christi is willing to allow for up to 10 percent of its overall enrollment to be part-time.

Although Holy Rosary is also an elementary school, their option for part-time education extends only from 7th grade through 12th. It is less common to provide part-time education on an elementary level, and neither St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Elementary in South Anchorage nor Our Lady of the Valley Elementary in Wasilla offer part-time opportunities.

At the preschool through 8th grade St. Mary Elementary School in Kodiak, however, principal Brian Cleary said the issue has been discussed but not yet implemented.

“We’ve developed a relationship with homeschoolers,” he said, noting that they participate in the school book fair. And Kodiak Christian Schools have experimented successfully with part-time enrollment, he added.

Cleary said St. Mary’s would have much to offer non-traditional students who might be attracted to the school’s physical education, art, music and technology programs. He said having part-time students would be a plus.

“More people who are part of our school make us stronger,” he said. “We have to be adaptable.”

For more information about part time enrollment options at Lumen Christi High school call (907) 245-9231. For options at Holy Rosary, call (907) 276-5822.