Catholic School Champion: Priscilla Bussari

The power of prayer brought Priscilla Bussari to her involvement with Notre Dame ACE Academies.

With her husband, Rey, the mother of five has sent each of their children to Catholic schools. Currently their three youngest attend St. John the Evangelist, A Notre Dame ACE Academy. The school, she reports, is thriving now, but it hasn't always been so. "St. John's was on the brink of closure," Mrs. Bussari says. "It had gone through five different principals in five years and enrollment was rapidly declining. There was no unified direction for the school." So she and several others committed to praying for St. John's. "This is not just the school my children attend," she explains. "This is our community."

Their prayers were answered. "St. John's was one of the 3 schools chosen to become the first Notre Dame ACE Academies. This partnership would give our school the resources it had been lacking for so many years. This renewed sense of direction gave me hope, and I wanted to be part of it."

Today Mrs. Bussari serves on the Notre Dame ACE Academies school board and, she adds, "in any capacity needed. I will be the voice of our school's parents, working on behalf of our children to ensure that they have the opportunities to get an excellent education and to continue to grow in their faith."

And indeed, they are making gains. "The expectations both academically and in their faith are at a higher level; this partnership has opened up a new world for them. The school culture has made such a positive change in just the last year."

About her service to St. John's, this Catholic School Champion concludes, "I know we have a lot of work ahead of us, but I am confident that with this partnership, the future is a bright one."