LANCASTER, N.Y. (WKBW) — St. Mary's Elementary has opened a new middle school campus in Lancaster at the former Our Lady of Pompeii School, expanding to accommodate a surge in enrollment that had left the school's main campus with a waiting list.
St. Mary's Elementary Pompeii campus serves 6th, 7th and 8th graders and currently houses 72 students. St. Mary's Elementary now enrolls more than 400 students in its pre-K through 8th grade program.
Principal Glenn Olejniczak said the school's growth made the expansion necessary.
"Our school has experienced a tremendous period of growth over the past few years, and we outgrew our main campus, and so we met with the bishop in his office, and moved our grades six through eight over here to the former early Pompeii school," Olejniczak explained.
8th grade student Hannah Kuska tells me the space has been a welcome change.
"I like it. I like how we're separate from the elementary, and get our own space," she said.
Math teacher Christine Schuster said the new campus gave staff a fresh opportunity to shape the environment.
"It was kind of like coming into a blank slate where we really make it our own and make it what we want for a middle school,” Schuster said.
Bishop Michael Fisher visited the St. Mary's campus on Thursday — an upbeat moment as the Buffalo Catholic Diocese struggles through church closings, mergers and moves closer to finalizing its bankruptcy.
"One of my important goals is to strengthen our Catholic schools," Fisher said. "There's just a wonderful, I think, spirit going on right now, and I hope that continues because our schools are so precious to us, and we want to keep them going.”
The Bishop was joined by Catholic Schools Superintendent Joleen Dimitroff, whose strategic plan includes growing enrollment.
"We are so excited to be able to have this opportunity for growth here in the Lancaster community," Dimitroff said. "So, this is very special for me personally because I graduated from St. Mary's, so this is near and dear to my heart."
Msgr. David LiPuma, pastor of Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Lackawanna, joined the bishop and others on the tour of the new campus. LiPuma is a ’74 graduate of the elementary school.
“To have both these schools thriving is extremely exciting. St. Mary's is now the heartbeat of Lancaster, Depew and beyond,” LiPuma noted.
WATCH: St. Mary's Elementary opens new Lancaster middle school campus
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