During this third academic year impacted by COVID-19, diocesan Catholic schools’ commitment to in-person learning does not go unnoticed by parents. However, just as it’s said that converts to Catholicism are among its fiercest adherents, those parents whose children attended both public and parochial schools over the course of the pandemic may have an even deeper appreciation.
For the 2021-22 academic year, enrollment at diocesan schools has increased approximately 7.8 percent, bringing the total student body to 18,080 children across 50 Catholic schools (including independent schools). Many switched from Northern Virginia public schools, which have continued to struggle to provide the same level of face-to-face learning opportunities.
“On the days we’re really tired of COVID, we think about St. Agnes (School) and how grateful we are,” said Catherine Henderson of Arlington.
She and her husband joined the Arlington parish as newlyweds in 2009. While they always admired the parish school’s strong community, they never seriously considered it because of the strong reputation of Arlington County public schools.
When the pandemic shutdowns began, Henderson was on maternity leave caring for the couple’s fourth child. She was concerned about the impact of virtual learning and applied to Catholic schools during the summer of 2020. Miraculously, she said, they were admitted to several schools and enrolled their eldest two children at their parish school. This year, a younger sibling joined them as a kindergartener. They felt welcome immediately, notwithstanding COVID limitations on school activities, and noticed the markedly high standards for learning.
“That combination of rigor and academic challenge in a really caring environment has been amazing for all of them,” she said. “They love it.”
For Laura LoGerfo’s two daughters, the wait was longer, yet worthwhile. When house hunting 10 years ago, she and her husband settled in Arlington in part because of its public schools. While her husband attended Catholic schools at every level, she was a proud product of public education and had no qualms about enrolling the couple’s two daughters in Arlington public schools.
The school community was supportive, but she found the curriculum and instruction lacking. Then the pandemic hit and Arlington public schools disappeared, she said.
During the summer of 2020, LoGerfo explored Catholic schools for the upcoming school year. “It was impossible,” she recalled, because of long waitlists. They returned to Arlington public schools and were again disappointed. Despite substantial resources and a dedicated community, she said in-person learning only happened two days per week and the underwhelming virtual or asynchronous instruction left her scrambling to keep the girls occupied while she was working full-time. When the opportunity arose to enroll her children in third and fifth grade at St. Agnes, where they are also parishioners, she leapt at it.
“We are beyond satisfied with our decision to enroll our daughters in Catholic school,” LoGerfo said. “It’s difficult to describe in words how thankful I am and how much the girls are thriving.”
For her part, Henderson recalled one day during their first year at St. Agnes when her son did not complete his homework. He explained to his teacher that he simply did not feel like doing it. She commended his honesty and worked out a plan with him to complete the assignment — a commitment to both academics and personal character development that resonated with Henderson.
If the mother of four ever needs affirmation about the family’s education decision, she does not have to look far. At the morning school drop-off, her youngest child wants to run off and join his older siblings.
Schweers can be reached at [email protected].
