Diocese of Brooklyn<\/a> announced earlier this year that Sacred Heart Catholic Academy would close, along with six other Catholic schools across Brooklyn and Queens, citing declining enrollment and financial challenges as contributing issues.<\/p>\nThe closure has sparked concern among families and parishioners who took to social media to honor the school\u2019s legacy. For parents and alumni, the school represents years of shared memories, from classroom lessons to parish celebrations that brought families together.<\/p>\n
The Diocese says families affected by the closure will be supported in transitioning to other nearby Catholic schools. Sacred Heart will remain open through the end of the academic year before officially closing its doors.<\/p>\n
Some alumni and parents have also begun publicly organizing in response to the closure, including sharing fundraising efforts online in an attempt to keep the school open.<\/p>\n
Alumna Leandrina Michel described the school\u2019s impact as deeply personal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSacred Heart Catholic Academy was never just the school I attended from nursery through eighth grade; it was a second home, a place that helped shape the very core of who I am,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGrowing up in a Haitian household, those years were some of the most formative of my life, and what made them so meaningful was the harmony between the values my parents taught me at home and those that were nurtured within the classroom. That consistency gave me a sense of security, purpose, and identity that has stayed with me ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michel said the school shaped her not only academically but also personally, teaching her values such as kindness, respect, discipline and faith. She said she was supported by a close-knit community where teachers recognized her potential and where she built friendships that have lasted more than 30 years. Those experiences, she said, remain central to who she is today.<\/p>\n
Michel said the news of the closure has been difficult to process, especially as she reflects on what the school meant for future generations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s heartbreaking to know that future generations won\u2019t have the opportunity to walk those same halls, to experience that same sense of belonging,\u201d she said. \u201cSacred Heart was a community, a foundation, and a legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n
As she prepares for her son to begin his own education, Michel said she hopes to find a school that offers him the same sense of belonging, guidance and strong values that defined her experience at Sacred Heart.<\/p>\n
Another alumna, Mary Russel-Staco, said the closure reflects broader financial challenges facing Catholic schools.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs an alumna of Sacred Heart, it\u2019s very disheartening to see the school I grew up in closing,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s not about the students\u2019 performance, it\u2019s about finances. Catholic schools don\u2019t receive government funding the way charter schools do, and that makes it difficult to keep them open.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added that the closure is unfair to the students, families, and staff who have long supported the school<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not fair to the students, parents, teachers and staff who work very hard,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
For many in Cambria Heights, Sacred Heart Catholic Academy will remain a lasting contributor to the neighborhood\u2019s history and identity.<\/p>\n
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