St. Therese School Thrives after Refocusing Recruitment Efforts to Draw More Families from Latino Community

St. Therese Catholic School in Aurora, CO, is a pre-K through 8 Catholic grade school that was founded in 1956 by the Sisters of Charity from Leavenworth, Kansas. At its peak, the school served 250 students, but in recent years, enrollment dipped far below that.

In 2013, the parish and school community underwent a change in leadership, welcoming new principal, Mrs. Toni Vaeth, and new pastor, Fr. Hector Chiappa-Villareal, and a significant transformation ensued. Both the new pastor and principal share a Latino background and are bilingual in English and Spanish. Fr. Hector is from Mexico City and thoroughly understands the cultural background of many of the parish families. The new pastor-principal team has been extremely proactive in inviting new families to consider sending their children to St. Therese.

In 2013, Mrs. Vaeth and select members of her staff, including the long-time business manager of the school and Religious Education Director, attended the Latino Enrollment Institute at Notre Dame. Since then, they have worked tirelessly to make the school more visible in the parish and the wider community, and to create a culture that reflects that of the growing number of Latino families. These efforts have truly paid off as St. Therese had the second highest enrollment increase in the entire Archdiocese of Denver last year.

Since Mrs. Vaeth and Fr. Hector began in 2013, enrollment at St. Therese has grown by 33%. Furthermore, after attending the LEI in the summer of 2014, the school welcomed 36 new students, and more than half of those who registered in the past year are Latino.

St. Therese’s recent enrollment growth is undoubtedly a direct result of the school's leadership, who have been very intentional about their outreach to the Latino community and creating a culturally responsive environment at the school. The school has begun the tradition of celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe and Las Posadas, which are important parts of Latino spirituality. Furthermore, they have hired three new bilingual staff members, including two aides and the cafeteria manager. These individuals are able to help with translation on a daily basis, and the cafeteria manager has made it easier for Spanish-speaking parents to volunteer in the cafeteria alongside her.

An informal "madrinas" program has also begun to take shape, which Mrs. Vaeth intends to build on in coming years. In addition to hiring new Latino staff members, Mrs. Vaeth invited members of the Latino community to serve on the School Advisory Council, as well as the Parent Volunteer Organization.

Above all, word-of-mouth has played an integral role in St. Therese School's enrollment growth this past year – families sharing the news about St. Therese with other families. Fr. Hector, Mrs. Vaeth, and the Director of Hispanic ministries have all spoken at Masses in both English and Spanish about the importance of Catholic education and the opportunities available at the St. Therese. The school leadership's ability to communicate in Spanish with prospective parents has definitely enhanced the school's visibility and helped make Latino families feel more welcome and at home at St. Therese.