St. Jerome Elementary School has been the stoic brick fixture at the corner of 152nd and Lakeshore since 1922. After decades of changes in the community, the Cleveland Catholic Diocese, and in Ohio education, St. Jerome remains a jewel for the Collinwood neighborhood.

Thousands of students have attended St. Jerome Elementary School, many of which still live in the greater Cleveland area.

Sue Coan, the 31-year veteran teacher who became principal of St. Jerome this school year, said she has seen generations of students come through the doors of the school. "A few of the students’ parents were in my first-grade class," Coan said. "I think they [former students] want their children to go here because they know this school will give them a strong educational foundation."

Many changes have happened in the Collinwood neighborhood since the school opened almost 88 years ago, but Coan says that Catholic traditions and expectations remain a constant for the students who attend the school. "Our students attend mass regularly, we pray daily, we enforce discipline, compassion, exhibiting Christian character, and academics," said Coan.

At one time St. Jerome Elementary School’s population was all Catholic and all Caucasian. Currently out of the roughly 160 students that attend St. Jerome, only 12 are Catholic and the school’s population is about 95% African American.

"We happily accept any student to our school who fits our academic and behavior criteria, no matter their ethnic background or if they are non-Catholic," Coan said. "The Collinwood community’s population demographics have changed, so it is only natural that our school demographics have changed too."

Most students who graduate from St. Jerome Elementary School go on to a Catholic High School. Catholic High Schools in the Cleveland Catholic Diocese have about a 96% graduation rate compared to the less than 60% graduation rate of Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

Tonya Carter, the current PTU (Parent Teacher Union) president at St. Jerome Elementary School, has four children who have attended or currently attend St. Jerome Elementary School. The youngest is in the second grade and the oldest is in the 12th grade at Villa Angela St. Joseph (VASJ). Carter credits St. Jerome Elementary School for the success her son is having in high school. "My son is on the honor roll at VASJ," Carter said. "I have always thought about college for my children and I know the education from St. Jerome [Elementary] School is preparing them to go."

Carter remembered when there were still nuns teaching at the school. "My oldest son’s second grade teacher was a nun and she was very firm," Carter said. "Although the teachers are not nuns, Catholic tradition in the education has not changed and I like that."

Carter, who is not Catholic, encourages other non-Catholic parents to consider St. Jerome Elementary School as an option. "Your child will be challenged," Carter said emphatically. "They will also be safe and in the care of staff who work closely with students to help them succeed and to help create a plan if your child is having a hard time with something."

Carter said she looks forward to seeing improvements in parent involvement, extra curricular activities, and community service projects outside the school. "I would love for more parents to be involved in the school. It would make a big difference in how children perform and what the school can offer," Carter said. "We have recently gotten some of our sports back, but I look forward to more."

Carter said she considers St. Jerome Elementary School as a home away from home for herself and her children. "You [parents] can sit in on classes and it is not a problem," Carter said. "The students are taken on field trips that are educational and non-educational. The education is very well-rounded."

Eighth-grader Michaela Crawford agrees. She has been attending St. Jerome Elementary School since the sixth grade and feels she is fortunate to have come to the school. "I know I am getting the strong education that I need to be successful in the future," Crawford said. "Also I think it is good that we learn about the Catholic religion."

Crawford, who will be graduating in June, said she will miss the home-like atmosphere at St. Jerome Elementary School."I love this school," she said. "I have a lot of good memories in this building. We are like one big family."

St. Jerome is currently enrolling students, K-8, for the 2010-2011 school year. For more information call 216-486-3587.