The Archdiocese of Philadelphia in partnership with the Faith in the Future Foundation, which was created to support and guide the system of Archdiocesan high schools, announced today new initiatives to drive enrollment. These initiatives include over a million dollars in new grant money, incentive programs for current students, ways for students to share with others their love for their Archdiocesan school, a centralized online registration system and the announcement of a "See Our School" weekend.

1,000 grants of $1,000: The Faith in the Future Foundation recognizes that cost is one of the biggest barriers that families face when choosing a Catholic education and although, the Archdiocese and its supporting organizations provide scholarships and tuition assistance, there is always a need for more. To address this need, the foundation will be providing 1,000 new grants of $1,000 for incoming freshman-a million dollars in new grant money. These grants will allow the Archdiocese to offer students a high-quality education at a cost of $399 per month over 12 months.

I Love My School-You Should Love Yours Too: The foundation recognizes that Archdiocesan students are some of the schools' best proponents, and therefore, it is offering one student at each high school the opportunity to win a $5,000 tuition grant for referring the most new students to register for the 2012-2013 school year. The student, who refers the most new students across all high schools, will win a $25,000 tuition grant. This referral program will only count for new registrations, currently registered incoming freshmen and transfer students will not count as referrals.

Show it! Snap it! Share it!: The recent outpouring of love to the Archdiocesan high schools proved many things. It proved loyalty, determination and a willingness to help. But most of all, it proved that a Catholic education forms a special, life-long bond. It's a bond full of love and pride, which these students carry with them in the classroom, on the playing field, and in the community. The foundation has created a new microsite, www.MyAOPSchool.com that encourages high school students to share their love for their school through photos on Twitter.

"See Our Schools" Weekend: All Archdiocesan high schools will be hosting "See Our Schools" events from Thursday, March 22 through Sunday, March 25 to encourage families to visit their schools to see firsthand their unique benefits. Computer labs and kiosks will be set up to accept online registrations through a new centralized online registration website that is launching on Monday, March 12, www.AOPregister.com.

"When we founded the Faith in the Future Foundation, we knew that stronger marketing and recruitment efforts would need to be a top priority," said Edward Hanway, Chairman of the Faith in the Future Foundation. "These innovative initiatives allow us to address head on the need to increase enrollment by reaching parents where they are, allowing them to easily register their children, removing some of the cost barriers, utilizing our best assets and showcasing the life changing benefits of a Catholic education."

In addition to the initiatives announced today, the foundation is working closely with the Office of Catholic Education and each of the high schools to develop further programs and marketing initiatives, including a paid media campaign to support "See Our Schools" weekend and cultivate ongoing partnerships and unique programs with colleges and others to bolster Philadelphia Archdiocesan High School graduates entering post-secondary education.

"When I announced that West Catholic, Conwell-Egan, Bonner-Prendie and St. Hubert's would remain open, I knew that we needed to vigorously increase school enrollments not just at these schools but all of our high schools" said Archbishop Charles Chaput. "These initiatives put forth by the Faith in the Future Foundation demonstrate that we are on the right path towards sustainable, academically excellent schools that are rooted in faith. However, we must not lose sight of the fact that we all need to do our part to ensure the future of Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia."

Contact
Donna Farrell
Director of Communications
215-587-3747