By Trina A. San Agustin
Variety News Staff

MOUNT CARMEL Catholic School will stay open in the coming school year, Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron announced at a press conference yesterday.
Apuron said the challenges posed to the school alumni were addressed, which justified keeping the school open.
“I am very happy to announce today that these three-fold challenges have been met and Mt. Carmel School will remain open for the coming school year and God willing, for the foreseeable future. Congratulations to you all who have made this possible,” Apuron said.
Apuron earlier presented a three-fold challenge about keeping Mt. Carmel School open. These challenges had to be met by April 15, three days ago.
Apuron said at that time, if the challenges are met, then the school could remain open.
“Those challenges are: one, there must be a school enrollment of at least 150 paying students; two, there must be a capable school administrator who can run a catholic school with a catholic school background; three, an additional funding source must be found and established in order to supplement the ongoing needs of the students and the school,” Apuron said yesterday.
The catholic school is “technically run by tuition,” according to Apuron. However, because of recent decline in enrollment, administrators have been having problems and needed the extra help.
According to school principal Sister Claire Marie Quichocho, the last time the enrollment exceeded the 200-mark was in school year 1996/1997.
“I am hopeful that the enrollment continues on the upswing,” Quichocho added. “I am proud and honored to extend a ‘thank you’ to everyone for listening to us and giving us the hope to keep Mt. Carmel around for the next 50 years.”
The second challenge was met when the Archdiocese of Agana announced the hiring of Connie Guerrero as the new administrator of Mt. Carmel School.
“The new school administrator will be Mrs. Connie Guerrero, who has accepted to be the new principal of Mt. Carmel School,” Apuron announced.
Guerrero told Variety that her plans for the school year have not been made yet as she is still meeting with officials to find out what they want from her. She is currently an employee with the University of Guam and is a retired Guam Department of Education employee.
Additionally, the archbishop recognized the hardworking group that established the Mount Carmel Alumni and Endowment Foundation Inc.
“…under the great inspiration and leadership of Atty. Mike Phillips and many alumni-alumnae of Mt. Carmel School who have been aggressively raising awareness and funds needed to help support the school. We owe a great debt of gratitude to them for all their efforts and their continuing efforts,” Apuron said.
Phillips, chairman/director of the Mount Carmel Alumni and Endowment Foundation Inc., informed Apuron that the total funds raised was $21,800. Phillips also extended sincere appreciation to Apuron for allowing the foundation and the public to work at saving the school from closing.
This is not the end, though, of the foundation’s effort to keep the school open.
“Unfortunately, because we were in a rush, our primary goal was to do as much as we could, as fast as we could,” Phillips told Variety. “Now we have the opportunity to better plan things and take the time to get as many people included as possible. I think that would be the one significant change the people will see. We are going to be just as active but more broad.”
Phillips added that the key to their success is the archbishop allowing the foundation to keep the school open.
“The archbishop really went out on a limb for us and he agreed early on, allowing the movement to restructure the tuition package. So now without any dispute, we are the most affordable school on the island, and rightfully so because the incomes of the families down here in the south really command a different package. It is still not one that everyone can afford, but it is definitely more affordable,” said Phillips.