Message from the Development Office

Dear St. Elizabeth Friends and Family:

In the adorable photo on the right, you see me with Ashton Purvis '10 on the day she received the Gatorage/ESPN award for Girls National Track and Field Athlete last year.  Aston is now a freshman at the University of Miami, but in the middle of a summer packed with sports events, celebrations and preparation for college, she found time to volunteer in our Development Office.  Ashton has been a real gift to Saint Elizabeth High School.

Because you have already experienced St. Elizabeth, you know The Gift that Saint Elizabeth is making is a long-term difference in the lives of our students.  A visitor to St. Elizabeth notices right away that our students LIKE TO LEARN.  They set their sights higher; they WANT to graduate!  We instill confidence in them as learners, and convince them that they can have a bright future.  Did you know that one in three freshmen in the Oakland public schools does not earn a diploma?  (Tony Smith, Superintendent of Schools, OUSD, Oakland Tribune, April 6, 2010.)

Saint Elizabeth High School can easily accommodate 300 students.  Our vision is not only to fill every desk, but to enrich the curriculum with dance, drama, music, and additional Advanced Placement classes.  We know there are many families in our neighborhood, especially recent immigrants, who would choose St. Elizabeth if they believed it to be financially possible.   Our Annual Fund this year, and the campaign that will follow in the spring, will build our scholarship endowment and allow us to reduce our overhead per student.  We know that the community of those who support our work is large and dedicated.  We ask you to look over our Annual Report and reflect on the successes our students have achieved.  What we are asking is sacrificial giving, but it is giving in response to the Gospel message:  "Let the children come to me..." (Matthew 9:14)

Our Goal is that Saint Elizabeth High School will turn away no student who wants a quality, Catholic education but cannot pay.  We invite you to help us reach it!

In prayerful gratitude for you,

Constance Dalton
Director of Alumni and Development