10 x 10 Colts Challenge

I finally figured out 2020! It has taken since March for this epiphany to take place, but it finally has. 2020 is just another level of Jumanji. Unfortunately, we have to get through this level to move forward in the game. I just hope the next level is much easier than this one. Between the Coronavirus and the elections (don't know which is worse), "We the People" are the ones who have to endure this level. We can endure this level. The thing is, we are going to have to do this together and be patient because we are still in the beginning stages of whatever level of Jumanji we are in.

Here is an interesting fact: "We the People" is the opening phrase of the Preamble of the US Constitution as well as the Constitution of India.  Thank you Sheldon Cooper.

What does this have to do with the 10 x 10 Colts Challenge? Actually, a lot. First, let me explain the 10 x 10 challenge and then give the whys.

We are calling all members of the St. Ann Family (parishioners, alumni, faculty and staff, parents, grandparents, and friends) to join together and participate in our first ever 10 x 10 Colts Challenge. Here's the way this challenge works. We are asking our St. Ann Families to donate $10 and pray a decade of the Rosary for St. Ann. Then, we also ask that you forward an email to 10 friends asking them to support St. Ann by donating $10.

The challenge will begin on November 9th and run until December 31st. We have created a page on our website specifically for the 10 x 10 Colts Challenge, which will be made available starting on November 9th.

Tomorrow's Monday Mail will give you more information on the challenge, and we will continue to send out information, including a sample email you can send to 10 friends, in the hopes of building enthusiasm behind the challenge.

Donor Board

Now the whys: The challenge is to help with unforeseen costs in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, such as hiring online teachers and extra substitute teachers, purchasing tools for meeting safety requirements and cleaning supplies, and lowering the number of students in each classroom.

These COVID-19 expenses were not budgeted because we had no idea how to budget for education through a pandemic. If we have another pandemic in the near future, we will be better able to develop a more accurate budget.

The hiring of online teachers and extra substitution teachers will add an extra $25,000 to our salary expense line from August to December. If this continues through the end of May, we will add another $25,000 in salaries on top of that.

Supplies to keep everyone as safe as we possibly can steadily increases on a weekly basis. The State of Tennessee and a grant from the Buckman Foundation have been a tremendous help to the school with safety gear and hand sanitizers. The rest, we have to purchase or build ourselves.

Limiting the number of students in each classroom hurts in oh so many ways. Because of this, we have limited our enrollment. This in turn, lowers the amount of tuition revenue. Ouch! Instead of having up to 25 students in those classrooms, we basically have 20 students. We have closed enrollment to PK4, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 8th grade. That means we have a waiting list for those grades, which in turn means we are turning families away from receiving a Catholic education. If we turn a family away because of space, those families will find other schools and not St. Ann.

And, don't forget the amount of financial assistance we have given to support families experiencing financial difficulties due to COVID-19. The financial assistance amount jumped from $77,000 last year to $133,000 this year. That a $56,000 difference we have to make-up for in our budget.

These are the whys of the 10 x 10 Colts Challenge. For these reasons, we would greatly appreciate your support. Please consider becoming a part of the 10 x 10 Colts Challenge and help us get to the next level of Jumanji.

God bless you, 

Didier Aur, Principal

St. Ann Catholic School