Students at the Elizabeth Seton Regional School in the West End gathered for Mass Friday to mark the end of another school year.
But the last day of school wasn't like all the others in the 101-year-old school's history. Elizabeth Seton is closing, not just for the summer but for good.
Cindy DiBello, a fifth-grade teacher and an Elizabeth Seton alumna, said the morning Mass was an emotional one. One of her students decided not to attend because it was too hard to say goodbye.
She said she quoted Dr. Seuss to cheer them up: "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
The Diocese of Pittsburgh announced in March that four local Catholic schools, including Elizabeth Seton, would close due to lack of funding and declining enrollment. Elizabeth Seton has 170 students from preschool to grade 8.
A ceremony the school is calling a "Final Walk Through" for parents, students, teachers and alumni starts at 4 p.m. today with Mass at Holy Innocents Parish on Landis Street. The school will be open for tours afterward.
Michele Janosko, 55, of Robinson, whose family features four generations of alumni, organized the walk-through. Janosko said she has heard from people who attended the school more than 70 years ago when it was Holy Innocents Elementary School.
"It's amazing to hear from people who feel as strongly about the school as I do," Janosko said.
The first school opened in 1907, before a high school was added and then closed. Eventually, the school merged with two other elementary schools to become Elizabeth Seton Regional.
Principal Sarah Tonski became emotional as she talked about the last day. "We've been around for many, many years," she said.
"We ended the way we would have wanted it to be, spiritually at Mass, together," DiBello said.
Some students will attend other Catholic schools in the area next year, while others will enroll in public school.
The diocese also closed St. Titus School in Aliquippa, Bishop McDowell Regional School in Baldwin and St. Valentine School in Bethel Park.
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