Seventh and Eighth Grade Meetings Scheduled

Two informational meetings will be hosted by the leadership of Hays Catholic Schools concerning the plans for a 7th and 8th grade expansion. These meetings are open to the public, and anyone with questions is encouraged to attend. The first meeting will take place Sunday, September 25, at 2 pm in the Thomas More Prep-Marian Auditorium, located at 1701 Hall Street, Hays. The second meeting will cover the same information and will be held Monday, September 26, at 7 pm in the Holy Family Elementary Auditorium, located at 1800 Milner, Hays.

The Catholic parishes of the Hays area announced last week a firm decision to operate seventh and eighth grades in addition to the preschool to 6 and 9-12 levels presently available at Holy Family Elementary and TMP-Marian. The two additional grade levels will be housed on the TMP-Marian campus, at least temporarily. Although the Kennedy Building will have been vacated by the public school district, it will not be immediately available for use as a Catholic school. Expanding to a new building would require the approval of the Salina diocese bishop; a new bishop has not yet been named.

The seventh and eighth grades will have their own faculty and a separate wing of the TMP-Marian building and will have available interscholastic athletics as well as a quality middle school curriculum. The next few months will be devoted to additional curriculum and facilities planning; more detailed information for parents and prospective students will be forthcoming. Current plans would put grades 5-8 at the "Kennedy" building for the 2013-14 school year. Mr. Bill DeWitt will be principal of grades 7-12 for the 2012-13 school year.