When parents at two enrollment-challenged Catholic schools in the San Pedro Region learned they would have to search for another school to enroll their children for the 2009-2010 school year - and teachers were told they would probably need to find a new job - they took action.

As a result, St. Anthony High School in Long Beach and St. Anthony School in El Segundo not only kept their doors opened, but increased their enrollment through new administration, innovative marketing plans, aggressive advertising and publicity, and community and foundation support.

The high school's freshman year enrollment grew by nearly 31 percent; the K-8 school population increased 58 percent, from 106 in the 2008-2009 school year to 167 students for 2009-2010.

The support of the respective pastors, Fathers Robert Victoria (St. Anthony, El Segundo) and Jose Magana (St. Anthony, Long Beach), and parishioners has been a huge factor in the turnaround. So too is prayer, with many prayers no doubt seeking the intercession of St. Anthony de Padua, the patron of lost things and one of the great preachers and teachers of his time.

St. Anthony School, El Segundo
When Father Victoria was informed by archdiocesan authorities that St. Anthony School was in danger of closing, he brought up the issue within a homily. That generated a positive response from parishioners, many of them parents or teachers at the school.

Board members, seeking to rejuvenate its membership, started recruiting parents who had been actively participating in the school activities. One was Felipe Gutierrez, a technology-savvy director of academic computing services at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles.

The resident of Del Aire, a tiny unincorporated middle-class neighborhood minutes from El Segundo, could think of no other school where he wanted to enroll his two children.

"I wanted the school to remain open. It is Christian-based and its faculty is dedicated and enthusiastic," Gutierrez told The Tidings. At the same time, "We needed to re-image the school, create a brand."

He joined the board and started supporting the school, notably by helping with computers in the classroom. Gutierrez is also in charge of a technology campaign to renew the almost obsolete computer lab with brand new donated equipment. To remind everyone about the effort, authorities keep a rendering of the future lab in the main office and one in the meeting room.

Aside from the lab, junior high classrooms have been equipped with five laptops each, donated by the U.S. Department of Housing. Classrooms also feature updated digital projectors.

Homegrown help
The search for a new principal to help revitalize the 50-year-old school's image produced a candidate from within the St. Anthony community. One day at the mall, Elaine Shawcross, St. Anthony's fifth grade teacher (and now assistant principal), saw fellow parishioner Georgiana Curcio, a teacher with many years of experience in Hawthorne's public school system; the two had been friends since their children (now in high school) were kindergarteners at St. Anthony School.

"I told her we needed to talk," said Shawcross. "The teachers were heartbroken. We asked ourselves, 'What can faculty do?' We were praying about it."

The answer to their prayers was Curcio, who was accepted as principal by the 12-member board, even though Curcio admitted she had concerns about her own lack of administrative experience. The community, though, knew she could learn those skills through training and faculty support; more important was her knowledge of St. Anthony's community (her husband Fred is a school alumnus) and her capacity to listen to suggestions.

From day one Curcio implemented an open-door policy. She is available at any time to parents, teachers or students. She also understands that faith and family are tied together.

"Georgina is a positive factor for the school," Father Victoria said. "She can connect with parents."

Admittedly, St. Anthony faces challenging competition from both public and other private schools in the area, which have a good curriculum. But Curcio is backed by a "vibrant school board," noted Father Victoria, and - as the only Catholic school in El Segundo - is able to draw Catholic families from Hawthorne, Del Aire and Torrance.

Non-parishioners have also supported St. Anthony's fundraisers including Casino Night, Bob Dylan Festival and Mardi Gras Night. A 2010 alumni reunion to celebrate the school's 50th anniversary is also on the schedule.

Recently-implemented ideas include elimination of the $4,900 non-parishioner tuition, the institution of bonuses to families who would refer a new student, and offering a first-month discount to the new family.

Father Victoria, also a board member, is happy with the result. Support from the archdiocese has included scholarships from the Catholic Education Foundation, mostly for students from working class Latino families.

On Nov. 15, Father Robert - as parishioners call him - will request parishioners to continue supporting the school by sponsoring one-month or one-year student scholarships. The enrollment goal for the 2010-2011 school year is 200 students.

"The school has a promising future with a great board and enthusiastic parishioners," said the pastor.

St. Anthony High School
Alumna Gina Rushing Maguire knew about St. Anthony High School's declining enrollment but did not pay much attention until one day she read in a local newspaper that the only Catholic co-educational high school in Long Beach, located in the corner of Sixth and Olive streets, was facing closure.

"'What?!'" was her first reaction. She started asking neighbors if they knew what was "happening down there."

Then she got a call.

It was Tim McBride, a certified public accountant, former head of St. Anthony High School's Foundation and a member of the school's board. He was gathering a group of business people to help rescue the academic institution.

A 20-year decline had put the school in a real predicament by the year 2000. The perception that downtown Long Beach, the area surrounding St. Anthony, was not a safe place, started growing and families - dissatisfied with school leadership - began choosing other schools for their children.

"Long Beach's competitive school district offered many choices," Maguire said.

But as a specialist in marketing and organizational development, Maguire had proven expertise in helping troubled companies revamp their image - among them, The Bay Harbor Hospital in Lomita and National Health Tech Corp. She also had a track record in assisting Catholic institutions: Working almost pro-bono, she helped raise $1 million to turn St. Barnabas Church's convent into a parish center.

McBride, then, knew Maguire could help update the school's image. "Come take a look," he told her. "You can really help."

Maguire wasn't so sure, but she accepted the invitation. "I love the school so much," she said. She was also motivated by the alarming thought, "What if it closes under my watch?"

That, she decided, was not going to happen. In 2002, with enrollment less than 200 students, Maguire became St. Anthony's first president. Together with the board, soon she came up with creative ideas to market and draw new funding for the school. An advisory board was formed and alumni got involved.

Slowly but steadily, the picture brightened. "There was growth since Gina's arrival," said Principal Mike Schabert. "She stopped the bleeding. With her skills and background she brought stability through marketing and re-staffing."

Schabert - hired in July 2008 - is no stranger to turnarounds himself. A former youth minister who studied theology at St. John's Seminary, he had contributed to the revitalization of Santa Clara High School in Oxnard, as assistant principal.

This year, enrollment has taken a giant leap with 105 freshman students enrolled, the largest freshman class in the last 10 years, and up from 60 the previous year. St. Anthony's total student population is 315, up nearly 31 percent from 240 last year.

Strong academics
Maguire said sharing the same values with Schabert has helped draw families from different zip codes. A strong college-oriented academic program plus sports is an appealing formula to local residents and those hailing from Orange and Los Angeles counties.

"It's either ceramic classes or AP Physics," Schabert said, while explaining how he has had to weather big decisions to spend the money wisely.

Starting from freshman year, students must meet three times a year with St. Anthony's two counselors to discuss college preparedness. The school's college visit program offers opportunities to visit different University of California and California State University campuses. Each student can do five visits within the four years.

The school also encourages students to connect with and, if possible, visit prestigious Catholic universities in and out of California, such as Loyola Marymount University or Notre Dame.

Junior and seniors are motivated through the Ambassador program, started by Maguire in 2003, to discover and develop their leadership skills. Every summer, former NBA star and St. Anthony's alumnus Darrick Martin, hosts a Basketball and Book Camp to encourage students to pursue academic excellence while practicing sports.

That is what attracted freshman Michael Smart, who would like to become an NBA player. "When I came to orientation I learned that it would be pretty challenging to play basketball and do well in school, but I like challenges," he said. But what drew his parents was the college-prep curriculum. "They (his parents) want me to pursue higher education," Smart said.

Keeping costs down
Although tuition increased three percent to $5,800 a year ($6,100 for non-Catholics), Maguire says it's still affordable for many families, compared with other schools in the area. Close to 60 percent of the students receive financial aid through scholarships from the CEF and other private foundations. Costs are held down by successful fundraisers planned with parents and teachers.

Tied to the college-preparedness curriculum is St. Anthony's two-year-old Marine Science Academy, developed in partnership with Long Beach's Aquarium of the Pacific. The program is focused on marine science, ecology and the environment, and students have the opportunity to train at the Aquarium, where they can apply the science knowledge learned in the classroom and speaking and people skills learned through the Ambassador program.

To support the Academy, a new biology lab was opened this year in the school's basement with partial archdiocesan funding, plus a $6 million grant from the Ahmanson Foundation for new equipment.

"The rigorous math and science program is starting to get attention as a national model," Maguire noted.

The school also takes advantage of its proximity to the Museum of Latin American Arts, developing collaborative efforts to offer students greater awareness and opportunity for growth.

As for the school's growth, Maguire and Schabert have planned for an increase of 50 students a year for four years, to bring enrollment above 500. St. Anthony himself would be proud.

To contact St. Anthony High School in Long Beach, call (562) 435-4496 or visit www.longbeachsaints.org. For El Segundo's St. Anthony School, call (310) 322-4218 or visit www.stanthony-school.org.