I received some sad news this past week when it was announced that my former high school, St. Joseph, will be closing at the end of this school year.  The closure is the result of the pandemic affecting household incomes and a general drop in enrollment at private schools in the US.  

St. Joes gave me some amazing memories in the four years I studied there.  I made lots of great friends, started my first band, had fun playing soccer, and learned a lot thanks to some really strong teachers.  Those memories will always be there, but I can’t help but feel sad to see that the school won’t exist after this year.  

My high school has a famous basketball program in the US, and produced one of the greatest players in NBA history in Isiah Thomas.  There’s also a well-known documentary about the program called “Hoop Dreams”.  In addition to basketball, St. Joes has had a really strong soccer program throughout its history.  

For a lot of reasons, St. Joes has had a great reputation throughout the Chicagoland area.  It will be missed.