[StBernard] Hannah High May Reopen on Northshore

[Westley Annis]

Hannan High may open location on north shore
All-grades school also readied in St. Bernard 
Sunday, November 13, 2005
By Karen Turni Bazile
St. Bernard/Plaquemines bureau 
The Archdiocese of New Orleans is looking into opening a north shore
location for flood-ravaged Archbishop Hannan High School but also will
continue efforts to open a Catholic school for all grade levels in St.
Bernard by January, the superintendent of Catholic schools said Saturday. 

The Rev. William Maestri said his commitment is twofold: to sustain Catholic
education for St. Bernard students in St. Bernard and where many of them
have resettled in St. Tammany. All of the archdiocese's five schools in St.
Bernard sustained damage from Hurricane Katrina flooding. 

 
"I've had a meeting with our principals on the north shore and I am looking
at some possibilities at the present time, but no final decision has been
made," Maestri said. 

Hannan is the only Catholic high school in St. Bernard. 

"A big concern of ours is the presence of Catholic schools in St. Bernard
Parish," he said. "At the same time, we have a number of concerns in St.
Bernard in relation to environmental safety issues for children. . . . For
example, will we have emergency, police and fire service should something
happen at a school?" 

Maestri said he is addressing the St. Bernard Parish Council at its meeting
Tuesday at 11 a.m. in the council chambers on the future of Catholic
education in St. Bernard. Maestri said he is still gathering information
about what needs to be done to ensure that school sites are safe for
students and staff. 

However, he said he still hopes to open one Catholic school site in St.
Bernard for prekindergarten through 12th grades in January. Last month,
Maestri and other school officials toured some campuses to assess damage,
and he said he was considering using either Hannan or Our Lady of Prompt
Succor School as the site for a consolidated Catholic school. 

"The most important thing I want to present to the citizens of St. Bernard
is that the archdiocese and Catholic education have not abandoned St.
Bernard," Maestri said. 

Although Maestri said he wants a consolidated school to be "a presence for
the repopulation of St. Bernard when that becomes safe," he said he would
need the support of the business and civic community to reopen Hannan High. 

"The renovation of (Hannan High) would not only require the efforts of the
archdiocese but the business and civic community that have supported the
school and benefited from the graduates of Hannan High School," he said. 

Parents of Catholic school students can get more information about planning
for schools by calling the temporary office for the Office of Catholic
Schools at Archbishop Rummel High School in Metairie, at (504) 834-5592,
ext. 277. 

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