Investing In Our Future
A Campaign To Support Our Educators
The soul of any school are its educators. At St. Hilary School, teaching is a higher calling. Our teachers and educational staff not only train minds, they shape hearts and transform lives for Jesus Christ. The core of the school mission is to keep Christ at the center of all that we do. In today’s world, this is more important than ever, and our teachers and educational staff live this mission every day. With the Catholic faith as their guide, they go far beyond being dedicated to their profession, nurturing students and building character by modeling love, kindness and compassion.
Teaching in a Catholic school is a vocation. Our educators are here because they love our school. They love our students. And most of all, they love sharing their faith as they teach. But over time, St. Hilary School salaries have become far less competitive with those of our public school counterparts. Additionally, our teachers and educational staff commit many hours outside of the school day to work with students who need help, to lead clubs and other activities, to plan special events, to serve on school committees, and much more. All of this extra time has been given without compensation. Against the backdrop of a national teacher shortage, the need has become critical and the time to act is upon us. To retain our outstanding teachers and educational staff members and recruit more of them in the future, we must be able to offer a competitive salary and compensate our educators for the extras they provide for our students.
In 2023, a campaign was undertaken to grow the Teacher Salary Fund that was established in 2004 through the St. Hilary Parish Foundation. Intended for the purpose of supporting St. Hilary School teachers and educational staff when it was created, the fund gained new momentum in the 2022-2023 school year as their plight was brought to the forefront. Parents have taken up the cause and at the inaugural fundraising event, a Raise the Paddle initiative during the school’s Celebration 2023 fundraiser, $80,500 was raised in a matter of moments. Following that event, donations have continued to come in. In order to retain and recruit exceptional educators for our school, it is essential that this fund continue to grow. Fundraisers will continue to support this campaign, and private donors are invited to contribute at any time to ensure that our school is able to continue its mission through the hands and hearts of our teachers and educational staff.
Why wait for the next fundraiser when you can make a difference right now? Simply click here to earmark your donation for the Investing In Our Future Campaign by designating such in the "Write a Note" box, or contact St. Hilary Parish Foundation Executive Director Diane Sarkis today at 330-608-4787 or d.sarkis@st-hilaryfoundation.org. Your support will ensure that our school can continue to transform lives for Jesus Christ for years to come.