West Catholic alumnus donates $2 million to school for scholarship grants

Lots of Cash WikiCommons/ Jericho

An alumnus of a Catholic school is made sure that youngsters from "his old neighborhood" have access to the similar instructional opportunities he took several years ago.

The Benefactor

Bernie Rondolone, a 1965 alumni of West Catholic Preparatory High School, recently declared a planned dedicated donation of $2.7 million to cover the complete tuition for various high school students needing assistance.

The donation can support The Nicholas and Mary Rondolone Endowed Scholarship Fund, named after Rondolone's parents and relatives.

The four-year scholarships are offered based on educational merit and financial need, in line with West Catholic president Andrew Brady, a 2002 alumnus.

Brady makes an estimated figure that the endowment will enable between twenty-five and thirty youths to attend West Catholic without having to pay anything, thus, receiving full scholarships for their entire education years, bolstering the school's in-demand tuition assistance options.

Currently, Brady said that West Catholic gives roughly $2 million in financial aid and scholarships yearly, which helps only several people desiring and hoping to enroll their children in a Catholic school.

He expressed, "Our challenge here isn't interest; it's affordability. We have hundreds of applications every year, with families saying, 'We know West Catholic is the right place for our kid.'"

The School

The learning institution, which is currently co-educational, has a long history in West Philadelphia. West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys was established in 1916 for pupils attending Transfiguration Parish School and afterward St. Gregory Parish School. 

SGPS was founded in 1927, was Philadelphia's second all-girls Catholic high school. Both colleges united in 1989 to become the current school, which is located at 4501 Market Street.

Throughout the decades, a range of men's and women's religious orders have served West Catholic's students, as well as the Society of Mary, the De La Salle Christian Brothers, the Religious Sisters of Mercy, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, the Sisters of St. Francis, the Sisters of St. Joseph, the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Sisters of the Society of the Holy Child of Jesus, and also the Sisters of Christian Charity.

For Rondolone, the religious orders' presence was formative.

He stated, "The Christian brothers and the nuns instilled in me a desire to serve. I am … very grateful to the Lasallian order of Christian Brothers for their selfless dedication in enabling me and generations of students from various backgrounds to receive an education to be proud of."

Brady stated that the Rondolone scholarships would address a significant community and education need. With the 2019 American Community Survey, the median household financial income in West Philadelphia was slightly less than $35,000, making West Catholic's annual tuition of $9,400 unaffordable to several potential students and their families.

Brady informed that they have people who cannot pay for the school fees of their children.

Rondolone's gift will contribute to reversing that trend, he noted.

He further said, "I've participated in a few (financial aid award) calls. Families cry on the other end of the phone when they learn their child will be able to attend a high-performing and sacramental Catholic school."

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