Pocono News Section

St. Vincent's in Honesdale Closes

St. Vincent's in Honesdale Closes - Tuesday, June 9, 2009 at 6:00PM EST

HONESDALE, WAYNE COUNTY- St. Vincents in Honesdale is closing after 150 years. It marks the end of catholic schooling in Wayne County. The Scranton diocese says declining enrollment is the cause.
St. Vincent's graduation was last night. Cathy Asinari has three children in the school. "It's a very sad day for me. They've all been going to school here for years. What they've learned and how they've learned it and how the kids take care of each other and respect each other is something I'm going to miss very, very much," said Asinari.

St. Vincent's rich history is shown through pictures old and new at the school. Students say they feel like they're part of one big family. 7th grader Victoria Freshour said, “I could come here in tears and everybody would care. It's not like I'm just a person. You know everybody and everybody is friends. It's really sad."

Some are staying positive. 8th grader Sarah Asinari said, "It's also the start of a new beginning and we all need to see it that way. I know a lot of people are sad but you need to be positive about it. This school had a great run."

Karen Burkavage has worked at St. Vincent’s for 25 years. "We love this school, we love the kids, we love the lord. We hoped to be here forever but its sad day, we're leaving today," said Burkavage.

Jennine Fluhr has worked here one year but she will miss it just the same. Fluhr said, "I'm still really sad because it's a really nice school and I'm going to miss it because of the people. It was really like a family."