First Catholic High School in SW Washington State Opens its Doors

There has not been a Catholic high school in SW Washington since 1966 when Providence Academy in downtown Vancouver closed its doors. In 1999 several area Catholic families expressed desire for a faith based education that was not a hundred mile commute away. “What must we do to make that happen?” they asked of the Southern Deanery.

Ten years and much work later their wish came to fruition when Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic High School opened its doors this fall at its initial campus located at 811 NE 112th Avenue. “Initial” because the 114,000 sq. ft. leased spaced is only the first step while construction is underway in Ridgefield for a permanent high tech facility, to open after 2014. The decision was made to gather the founding students now to develop the culture and identity of the student body. So when the time is right, the school spirit will instantly inject itself into the new campus.

In the meantime, the school spirit is taking shape under the guidance of the Holy Spirit...with a little help from 33 year veteran and former Skyview High principal Ed Little, six teachers and seven staff.

Mr. Little takes the Holy Spirit aspect of education very seriously, pointing out that Seton is an Archdiocesan school with certain expectations towards the development of student faith. To that end, every day and every class starts with prayer. The progressive calming prayers of intention throughout the day build community as the students pray for one another. Mass occurs every Wednesday, presided over by a local priests who comes in rotation. Every student fulfills 20 hours of service work in their parish/community during each under class year, and 30 hours during each upper class year...all of which are tied into their theology classes. This is also true of the students who are not Catholic (Seton is open to all faiths and backgrounds).

Prayer and faith building are as old as humankind, but the tools for educating at Seton are very modern. Each student is assigned a Macbook which can wirelessly download textbooks and assignments, and students can likewise upload their homework. Lessons are demonstrated on Promethean Boards, a 21st century blackboard similar to what you’ve seen on TV when the news persons reach out with bare hands to manipulate computer graphics on a screen. Gone are the days of the overhead projector that required converting documents into transparencies. Now you just place the document, or any object really, as is, under a Document Camera which projects it against the wall.

Between prayer, technology and excellent teachers (over 200 applied for the six faculty positions) the students will have no trouble meeting the demands of the curriculum that meets or exceeds college entry requirements. As a preparatory school, a placement exam is required of the application process, as are interviews with both the parents and students.

Tuition is currently $8,500/yr for all four years for the founding students. Though substantially lower than other comparable schools in the area, Seton will, out of necessity, increase tuition 6-7% annually to keep up with inflation. This year started with only under class students, of which they expected 30, but have exceeded that with 35. Once opened to upper class transfers starting next year, expectations are that the student body will soon jump to 200.

As enrollment increases, Seton plans to increase its offerings in almost all departments. Athletically the Cougars (their mascot) currently only participate in volleyball and basketball, with no school fight song or band to play it. Ed Little assures that is all going to change soon. He has visions of the Catholic community coming together to cheer on a Cougar football team. “Not just sports,” he adds quickly, “but all kinds of events. We want Seton to become a unifying element that brings a sense of Catholic identity in Southwest Washington.” He believes this is very possible considering that everything that has happened so far has been because of that community, and he sincerely thanks them.

Come show your support Sunday, November 1st for Seton’s open house from 1-3 PM when future student families inspect the school.