Saving Lourdes High School
Is it too late to save Lourdes High School? No it is not and we can start now by signing a petition to save Lourdes High School. Just go to this website: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/LHS-Preserving-Our-Heritage, read the petition information and follow the instructions provided on the website. But first before you go to the website let me state why I think it is possible to change the minds of those that made the decision to relocate Lourdes High School.
· Lourdes is not "landlocked" it is surrounded by opportunity and potential partners in education, including Saint Marys Hospital, the Mayo campus, Mayo Medical School and the University of Minnesota. There are many possibilities for continuing and expanding creative partnerships and collaborative efforts between these educational institutions and Lourdes High School. Consider this excerpt taken from the Rochester Area Economic Development website: Rochester, Minnesota, is about to begin the design of the Minnesota BioBusiness Center. This facility will be located downtown in close proximity to Mayo Clinic and the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics. The facility is being designed to provide more than 150,000 square feet of office/lab space for companies who could benefit by being near Rochester’s bioscience assets. We are leaving no stone unturned as we create what we believe will be one of the leading BioBusiness Centers in America.
The Lourdes High School present site is situated in close proximity to all of this projected economic and educational growth and it would be foolish not to tap into it. Developing these partnerships would make Lourdes High School one of the most sought after educational institutions around.
· Lourdes could create an environmental studies program and then use the gift of land from the Remicks for the environmental studies program. There is a school up in the Twin Cities metro area that provides an environmental studies course and it is a unique and exclusive program. This would be a way to utilize the new land by using it to provide an off-main campus environment, it is forward looking (Green movement requires degreed programs that are just now emerging in colleges and universities), commands a higher tuition rate and has precedence within the high school educational system (i.e. they wouldn't be the first to roll this out so there is a template for success).
Lourdes should have a similar health program initiative with the Mayo Clinic and the U of M (thus the need to stay in their metro setting). Having an undergrad degree from Lourdes should mean that an Ivy League school prefers you.
· You want a school that appeals to all interests of young people who are academic, social and athletic by nature. Athletics is a great source of community; it helps to bring a community together. It appeals to people. There is a unique energy that comes from successful athletics. Lourdes could develop successful athletic programs both downtown and perhaps through the development of an athletic field on the gifted land site.
· One of the most cherished possessions our Catholic community has is our history. The area around St John’s Church & grade school and Lourdes High School is rich in Catholic history. We have a strong history of excellence in education and an undeniable connectedness to the history of downtown Rochester and to the Mayo family. It gives us a sense of place. It ties us to where we came from and where we are going. We should not sever our tangible ties to the past, by exiting downtown.
· Renovation coupled with limited development of the gifted land would be the more palatable option for families and alumni associated with Lourdes High School. I suspect that feelings are running high in opposition to abandoning the present site and even with the services of a professional fundraiser; it might prove very difficult to say the least to raise in excess of $55 million for such a risky venture.
