By Marie Mulvenna

Griffin’s Sacred Heart School, a landmark of the community for 25 years, will close its doors as an institution of learning when the present school year concludes in several weeks. The school, which has been staffed for the past year by an all-lay faculty, was founded 25 years ago by the School Sisters of Notre Dame from Baltimore.

Sacred Heart was located in downtown Griffin until 10 years ago when it moved into the present facility on MacArthur Drive. The sisters had staffed the school until last year when their order recalled them for other assignments. Sacred Heart is the first Catholic school to close down since Ft. Oglethorpe’s school was closed in June 1969.

Father Daniel J. O’Connor, Secretary for Education for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, announced the closing of the school and said the decision had been reached after a recommendation of the parish board of education, a poll of parishioners, the formal approval of the archbishop and the archdiocesan board of education.

The primary reason for the school’s closing, Father explained, was financial since the cost of an entire lay faculty added greatly to parish costs. In addition, Father said, concentrated efforts by the parish and school to contract with religious orders for teaching sisters had been unsuccessful.

Miss Rachel Hultz, principal of the school this past year, said they were naturally saddened at the prospect of closing the school but added that the costs of an all lay faculty were extremely burdensome for the parish. Miss Hultz said the decision had been reached first by the parish board of education, which then conducted a parish-wide survey on the question. Miss Hultz said they had hoped all along they would be able to obtain teaching sisters, adding, “We thought we had one order all lined up. They even came down to the school to see it but it didn’t work out after all.”

Miss Hultz said approximately half of the 141 pupils would attend Griffin public schools with the others enrolled in various private schools in the area. She explained that the current 10-year-old school building would be utilized fully by the religious education program of the parish. “The building, all the audio-visual equipment, records, classrooms, etc. will be used as the religious education center for the Griffin area.” She added that this would be a great boon for the religious ed program, providing a building plus cafeteria and teaching materials. “If the parish is losing in one area by the school’s closing, it is gaining in another with the fine facilities now available for religious ed,” Miss Hultz said.

She announced that graduation ceremonies would be held for the kindergarten classes on May 25 and on June 3 a “family day” program is planned with a talent show, covered dish supper, softball game and field day events. The graduation exercises for Sacred Heart’s final sixth grade will be held on June 4, marking the end of an era in Griffin.

Father O’Connor said the school had a long record of acceptance by the community and had a fine relationship with other denominations “It has always been active in the community’s activities, and will certainly be missed.”