St. Jerome School on the up and up

Zharia Rahn, a new student at St. Jerome School, sits with her new friend Ashley Shumay, a long time St. Jerome School Student, at lunch.

Although there has been a lot of negative news about schools recently, St. Jerome School reports an improvement in enrollment and academic success compared to the beginning of last school year.

According to St. Jerome School Principal, Sue Coan, enrollment has increased 20 percent in K-8 since the 2011-2012 school year and the preschool is full.

“We are very blessed to have so many parents interested in what we have to offer at our school,” Coan said. “Most parents say they enrolled their children in our school because of our structure and focus on faith.”

St. Jerome School has also seen improvement in Ohio Achievement Assessment (OAA) reading scores which were reported this summer. A vast majority of the students from 3rd through 8th grade scored an average of 400 or higher on the 2011-2012 OAA tests. According to the Ohio Department of Education, a score of 400 is considered proficient.

“We want our students to do well on standardized tests, but we also emphasize life-long learning,” Coan said.

Zharia  Rahn, who is a new student at St. Jerome School in the eighth grade, said the school is interesting and has a lot offer.

“This school has a positive learning environment and a lot of extra-curricular activities such as sports and art club," Rahn said. “I think the school is great so far and it will provide me with a great Catholic education.”  

Chanelle McCloud is a teacher at St. Jerome Elementary School and also the founder of Professchanelle Inspiration.