Letter from the President

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Thank You

Dear Friends of St. Francis High School,

When the 2019-2020 school year began, the school leadership chose “Flourish” as the theme for the year. What an unexpected year 2019-2020 turned out to be! And yet, St. Francis High School did indeed Flourish over the course of the year.

We began the year with special recognition. Microsoft again identified St. Francis High School as a Microsoft Showcase School—one of only 40 schools across the U.S. that Microsoft considers a best practice school for integration of technology into the learning process. Last fall, Chicago news outlet FOX32 chose to spotlight SFHS on “Pep Rally Friday” where news anchor Brittney Payton spent the morning showcasing the best of St. Francis High School to homes across Chicagoland. The enthusiasm of our students was over the top!

Throughout the year, we continued to upgrade the campus facility. In August, we opened a state-of-the-art Fitness Center for our P.E./Health classes, athletic teams, and employees. In March, we installed a new turf athletic field—not just any turf, but one that truly brings a new level of pop and school spirit with its Spartan Blue colors!

In mid-March when COVID forced school closures across Illinois, in the span of 48 hours our teachers and staff successfully transitioned to a 100% E-Learning school. Thanks to the incredible support of our loyal St. Francis High School community, we raised more than $69,000 for our Giving Tuesday Now COVID-19 Tuition Assistance Fund and showcased the talents of our faculty and students with the virtual Spartans Unite Benefit Concert. This fund ensured that current SFHS students whose families are experiencing financial hardship due to COVID can complete (or begin) their SFHS education. That support also translates to stable enrollment numbers.

Financially, St. Francis High School remains on the right track. Like many, we too felt the impact of the downturn in the economy. Our revenues declined this past year, due to loss of income from cancelled events, concession sales, and a decline in charitable giving. We aggressively managed expenses, particularly in the second half of the year. Together we weathered the storm!

On behalf of our students, faculty, and staff, I extend our deepest gratitude to each of you for your partnership this past year. We look forward to even brighter days ahead!

God bless,

Dr. Betsy V. Ackerson President

PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL

Dr. Betsy Ackerson Ron Darin Fr. John Honiotes Maureen Isphording Raeann Huhn Steve Nache

PRINCIPAL’S COUNCIL

Raeann Huhn Bridget Buckley Jeff Gerdeman Cindy Johnson Dan Hardwick Dan Holleman Kate Kowalski Bob Mamminga Dr. Diane Mercadante

ADVANCEMENT OFFICE

Steve Nache Becky Feltes ‘97 Fischesser Peg Kopec Debbie Quirk