Growth leads to challenges for schools

Stacy J. Willis

Friday, Aug. 10, 2001 | 4:23 a.m.

In the belly of the nation's sixth-largest public school district is a private high school, a place where every student wears a matching uniform, shirts are tucked in, visible tattoos are not allowed and a priest is available at lunch time.

While Clark County School District wrangles with its dismal reputation -- it has the highest drop-out rate in the nation and one of the lowest go-to-college rates -- Bishop Gorman High School administrators boast that 90 percent of their graduates go to college.

As Clark County School District struggles to manage more than 230,000 students, the Las Vegas Catholic school system, which includes one kindergarten, seven elementary schools and one high school, has only 4,000 students.

But the diocese's schools are not immune to the challenges of a growing community. In fact, on a smaller scale, they face the same logistical challenges: more students enrolling, the need for more facilities, the struggle to recruit teachers.

The diocese commissioned a study on its growth -- due late this month -- and plans to establish a long-term construction plan this fall. Last year it opened a new K-8 school, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Summerlin.

"Right now, we're filled to capacity. There is a waiting list to get into all of our schools," Facciolo said.

Traditional Gorman

Bishop Gorman High School was built in 1954 and named for Reno Bishop Thomas Gorman. The school started with fewer than 200 students; today it has about 1,000 ninth through 12th graders. Alumni include many of Nevada's movers and shakers -- former Gov. Bob Miller is a graduate -- and the faculty includes some administrators and teachers with lengthy service records -- Principal Connie Gerber has worked at Bishop Gorman in some capacity for 36 years.

Some families are equally as dedicated to the school.

Andi Pennington Swanson was the homecoming queen in 1980. Elizabeth White was a member of the drill team that same year. Last week they stood outside the school's gymnasium with their daughters: White's daughter is a junior and a cheerleader; Swanson's is a 3-year-old who on that day was dressed head-to-toe in Gorman blue-and-orange and wore Gorman ribbons in her hair.

"There is a deep community feeling here," Swanson said. "I like to come back and see familiar faces and old friends."

The Catholic schools are funded by tuition (Gorman charges $5,250 per year for active Catholics and $6,200 for all other students) and fund-raising. There is an extensive network of donors and parish contributions.

But Gorman High's 47-year-old brick walls stand on six landlocked acres in central Las Vegas. The school has no football stadium, no theater, none of the accommodations being built into Clark County's newest high school campuses. Facciolo and Gerber anticipate that finding a new campus for Gorman will be a priority in the near future.

"We are crowded. And it has become hard to get to in this location. There is discussion of relocating it near a freeway or beltway," Gerber said. The school is on Maryland Parkway between Oakey Boulevard and St. Louis Avenue.

That doesn't sit well with many loyal Gorman families, who believe part of the tradition is the structure itself.

"I don't want the school to move," White says. "I like my daughter to be in the same buildings I was in. It's familiar. It's part of the whole experience."

Catholic identity

Tradition -- whether structural or ideological -- is key to the Catholic school mission.

And Facciolo said that in addition to buildings, growth also presents a challenge to "maintaining the Catholic identity."

"The Catholic culture is very prominent in our schools, but it is becoming more difficult to promote the Catholic identity now because society is a little different now," Facciolo said.

"The norms are different. We have children watching TV six hours a day, and that's a lot of messages coming from popular culture."

Alumni from the 1960s remember when nuns in black habits in plentiful supply, and Viatorian priests -- an educational religious order -- ran the school. Shortages in clergy churchwide have changed that. Three years ago the Viatorian priests withdrew from Gorman and returned to Chicago, leaving lay people to operate the school.

About 400 teachers work for the diocese, but pay is slightly less than the public school district's.

"We're trying to get that up to parity," Facciolo said.

About 30 percent of Gorman's students are non-Catholic, and about 40 percent of staff is non-Catholic, Gerber said.

"More and more, the religious presence has declined here like it has at Catholic schools everywhere," Gerber said.

But administrators say the religious component of the Catholic education is still fundamental.

"Things change, but I don't think we've lost that element, no. It's very important. We hope that every child comes out with a true feeling of Catholic identity -- a stronger sense of morals, a maturation of faith," Gerber said.

Every student -- Catholic or not -- takes a religion course. Freshman enroll in Christology, sophomores in Sacrament, juniors in Social Justice and Morality, and seniors in an overview of religion.

Additionally, about half of Gorman students participate in social-service projects through the school's campus ministry program, according to Tim Pfau, co-director.

"Today, we believe very strongly that faith has to be practical. Our kids are out in the community practicing their faith," Pfau said.

For example, Gorman students participate in collecting food and clothing for the homeless, Pfau said. Many also attend religious retreats.

"We start every day with prayer. That's what this school is about."