By Dan Sullivan
Catholic Herald

Getting the word out about a good product

SUPERIOR -- Realizing they have a "good product" those involved in Superior's Cathedral School have started a marketing committee to get the word out about their school.

Principal Tim Johnson said. "One of our major objectives is to increase enrollment and looking at how we are going to go about doing that."

One thing that is vital to the survival of any Catholic school is having a good relationship with the local parishes.

Cathedral School receives support from five parishes in the Superior area. The majority of its students come from within these parishes.

"We are making efforts to have some Cathedral School events and presence at each parish throughout the course of the year," Johnson said.

"We owe a lot to the Catholic parishes. We are a community Catholic school and we do need the support of all those parishes," he said.

Parents from the various parishes serve as liaisons between their respective churches and the school. As a way to promote the school, students who attend parish religious education programs are being invited to various school activities.

Besides parish support, the community as a whole has to be involved.

"We want to have a visible presence within the Superior community," Johnson said.

To help in this promotion, school officials are making efforts to connect with the local newspaper, the Superior Daily Telegram.

"It helps to let people know what we do here," Johnson said.

"We have to be able to tell our story."

They have also run advertisements to keep the public informed. One such ad in the Telegram not only served as a Christmas greeting, but was a chance to publicly thank those who made a school fund-raiser a success. It also was a way for the school to plug the academic success of students.

"We wanted to send a message that we are a very viable school and have a lot of people working hard for us," Johnson said.

The Superior Catholic Herald was given as another example of a vital marketing tool for schools in the diocese.

"The Herald is targeted toward a specific market, Catholic parishioners," said LeAnn Nowicki, a Cathedral of Christ the King parishioner and marketing chair for the school.

"It could be an important tool to increase awareness of Catholic schools," she said.

The initial hope of the school's marketing efforts is to retain students that they have. In a community that has some newer public school buildings, this is a tough task. They, however, realize a school is more than bricks and mortar.

"We have lost students to a brand new middle school," Johnson said. "We want to retain the students that we have now, to continue on to our middle school."

From a marketing standpoint, with any Catholic school, students' ability to openly express their faith is a major selling point.

"Religion is number one," Johnson said. "We believe that an education based on Catholic values is rewarding. We believe in connecting spiritually, socially and academically. The service component and high academic standards are also important in Catholic schools."

Johnson said students who attend Catholic schools have a better chance with self-control and discipline as the enter into adult life. With academics, Catholic school students traditionally do well on standardized testing.

Because of manageable enrollment sizes, student behavior can also be controlled more easily in a parochial school setting.

"We have expectations for student behavior that is beneficial for the school environment," Johnson said. "We also have parents that have the same expectations as (school officials) do."

From an adolescent and peer pressure standpoint, students in fifth through eighth grade are at the peak with these pressures. Being in a good environment during these impressionable years is seen as an added benefit to attending a Catholic school.

"Positive standards attract positive standards," Johnson said. "The further up the ladder we can get kids -- if we can get kids to the eighth grade with a strong value system, you have a greater chance of success in life. The fifth through eighth grades are a tough time for kids and they need positive reinforcement."

When children hear consistent messages at home, at church and at school, they are more likely to take these words to heart and lead a Christian life. This is one of the reasons Nowicki sends her two children to the Cathedral School and it is the message she wants all Catholic families to hear.

"It's all about the positive role models and environment that Catholic schools offer," she said said.

Nowicki also said it is the shared values that she has with other families at the school that served as an important factor to consider in choosing Catholic school over the public school.

"I know that the other families sending their children to Cathedral School share in the values that I have in my life," she said.

Parents are one of the key sellers of a Catholic school. "The best thing they can do is to be that role model," Johnson said. "Be in church, participate in their local parish and be a strong supporter of the Catholic faith."

Creative fund raising is an important marketing concept for any Catholic school. Cathedral School holds an annual dinner and auction. This year's event raised $28,106. The school also conducts an annual community appeal, organizes a benefit walk, and had various other fund-raisers that help keep the school in operation.

"Even public schools do fund raising, but we don't want to bury people in them," Johnson said.

"We are going to have a Mardi Gras (celebration) before Lent. It's a fun time and it is also an opportunity to have people in the building," he said.

With the Cathedral church under renovation, the school is being used for a variety of activities. That has been a positive marketing tool for the Cathedral School.

"Because of (the construction) we have had a lot of people visit the school," Johnson said. "C.C.D. is held here and Mass is being held here."

Nowicki received a Catholic education at St. John the Baptist School in Savage, Minn., and wanted to pass the experience of a parochial education on to her children. Her wish is that other former Catholic school students would give the gift of Catholic education to their children, too.

"I always wanted my kids in Catholic schools," she said. "I enjoyed my Catholic education. It laid a good foundation, both academically and spiritually, in my life. I urge all Catholic parents to consider Catholic education for their kids."

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2004