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Heartland's First Catholic School To Open August

Doug Carman/Highlands Today

Rosemary Bratton, left, gives information on the new St. Catherine Catholic School that will open in Sebring in August at St. Catherine Catholic Church.

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By MARC VALERO | Highlands Today

Published: February 4, 2008

SEBRING — A new Catholic school is scheduled to open in August in Sebring.

St. Catherine Catholic School, which will be based at the St. Catherine Catholic Church, will have classes for pre-kindergarten 3-year-olds through second grade, said Rosemary Bratton, the Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Venice in Florida.

This would be the first Catholic school to open in the Florida Heartland. Currently, the closest Catholic schools to Highlands County are in Winter Haven, Lakeland and Port Charolette.

The Diocese of Venice decided on opening the school after considering the growing population of Highlands County and the growing number of Catholic families here. Bratton said that St. Catherine's pastor, José González, performed a survey and determined that there was a demand for it.

Bratton hopes to have 20 students enrolled in the kindergarten, first and second-grade classes. Registration began this weekend.

González said some families have been asking for such a school for the entire 15 years he has been with the church. "People have been telling me 'oh, we need a Catholic school here.' We're hoping this is the right time."

Lauran Gaines, whose granddaughter Lauran Stafford will enroll in St. Catherine for the first grade, was one of the parents who was hoping to see the school established.

Gaines grew up through Catholic schools in Trinidad but could not find one anywhere nearby when she moved to Sebring more than 20 years ago with her children. She hopes her granddaughter will be taught "religious morals" along with her schooling.

"I wish my kids were able to go," Gaines said. "Religious education is very important."

Bratton said the school, along with the 14 others under the Diocese of Venice, would have a full curriculum found in public schools, including physical education and arts. It would also "incorporate into those our faith values," including a time for prayer and character development.

The schedule of the new school will coincide with the public school schedule.

Even though it's based in St. Catherine in Sebring, Bratton expects the school to draw some students from Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Avon Park, from St. James Catholic Church in Lake Placid and possibly from other churches further out. The pastors at Our Lady of Grace and St. James already gave out fliers for the school, Bratton said.

For more information or to enroll, call St. Catherine Catholic School at 385-0049, send an e-mail to school@stcathe.com, or call Bratton at 941-484-9543.

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