NoCo Sunday News Clips: 12/13

• In yet another blow to the Catholic community in North County, St. Sabina Parish in Florissant has decided to close its grade school. Just shy of its 50th anniversary, the school will merge with St. Norbert’s at the end of the 2009-10 school year. “It is sad, but realistic, to come to the understanding that the demographics and finances indicate that our parish community must choose another site to continue to provide quality Catholic education for our children,” said St. Sabina principal, Sister Joan Galli, C.S.J., in a recent letter to parents.

In 1980, St. Sabina had an enrollment of 464 in its school and 352 in its PSR evening program. In 2009, those numbers dipped to 132 and 126, reflecting not just the declining number of Catholics in North County but the steadily increasing number of Americans nationwide who don’t identify with a specific church or religion. Earlier this week, the Post-Dispatch covered the school struggles at both St. Sabina and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta in Ferguson, following up on a story I did Monday about the BTC parish’s fight to save its school.

Could it finally be time for an independent charter school in NoCo?

"The Visitor" by UMSL art professor Jeff Sippel

•UMSL Fine Arts professor Jeff Sippel was one of ten prize-winning artists in the recent International Drawing Competition. Though usually known for his printmaking, Sippel, who works out of the NAC/UMSL Studios in Ferguson, beat out nearly 300 other artists for his toner-on-mylar drawings, “Rising Fish” and “The Visitor.” Both pieces are currently on display at the Municipal Museum of Wroclaw in Poland.

• Do you have room in your home for an international exchange student? St. Louis Community College @ Flo Valley is seeking local host families for its Scholarships for Education and Economic Development (SEED) program. SEED supports economic and social development in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbeans by sponsoring scholarships that allow students to attend college in the United States. If you’d like to provide room and board for a visiting student through May 2010 (and receive a monthly stipend in return), contact James Carrawell for more info: (314) 513-4124 or jcarrawell AT stlcc.edu.

• Since 2005, students at Hazelwood West High School have been making the holidays a little bit brighter for homeless and needy families at Room at the Inn, a local emergency shelter. This year, they loaded and delivered two busloads of clothing, household items and other gifts, fulfilling the wish lists of 15 different families! “By my estimates, we fulfilled 85 to 100 percent of all the items listed for each family,” said Matt Moellering, a school speech pathologist who coordinated the charity drive with science teacher Karl Herman. Money and gifts were donated by Hazelwood West students, teachers and staff. Several students groups, including the National Honor Society, also worked hard to secure cash donations and gift cards from local businesses like Shop N’ Save and Deavers.

• According to this story in the Independent News, the Florissant City Council is considering a new ordinance that would create stricter rules for painted brick buildings. The legislation would require owners of buildings with painted brick to gain approval from the city’s Public Works department if they’d like to repaint with the same color. If they want to change colors, they would need to seek approval from the Planning and Zoning commission.“We’ve come to a point where we as a council are going to have to step in,” said Councilman Tim Lee in the article.

I emailed Lee to ask why he feels this ordinance is important for the city of Florissant, and if he could provide specific examples of “problem” buildings with painted brick, but he didn’t respond. At the same time, I had to laugh, noticing that my NOCO header for the past few weeks has featured the beautifully painted Color Kraft building in downtown Ferguson. I also remembered that the bricks at Ferguson’s Corner Coffee House were entirely painted by hand…and they look great!

Florissant, is this really a priority? What the heck’s wrong with painted brick?

• Congratulations to my neighbors Larry and Heather Robinett, whose hand-built compost bin at the Old Ferguson West Community Garden is featured in the January 2010 issue of Gardening How-To. Larry and Heather built the bin using photos they had seen in the magazine, and when Heather sent in a thank you note and photo, the magazine (which is the official publication of the National Home Gardening Club) decided to publish it. Check out the Robinetts’ garden blog if you want to see more of their great work!

• UMSL and North County Inc. are sponsoring a “Moving Transit Forward” open house this Thursday, December 17, to discuss long-range plans for Metro and public transit in North County. Following a PowerPoint presentation, the audience may ask questions. Admission is free. JC Penney Auditorium @ UMSL, 5-7pm. (314) 865-6241

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