Mercy closure ‘devastating loss to community’

• Closure of Mother of Mercy High School in Westwood brings mixed reactions.

WESTWOOD – The announcement that Mother of Mercy High School would close at the end of next school year has been met with disappointment. However, some are focused on what’s next, specifically on how the property at 3036 Werk Road will eventually be used.

Plans are for Mother of Mercy to merge with McAuley High School in 2018.

“I was shocked and saddened to hear the news,” said Kathy Bach, branch manager of the Westwood Branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. “Mercy High School is one of the crown jewels of Westwood.

“It will be a devastating loss for the community.”

Bach, a 1993 graduate of the school, said the library frequently partners with the school in various outreach programs and services.

“The big question is what will be the impact on the neighborhood,” Bach said.

Both Mother of Mercy and McAuley will continue operations as separate schools until 2018, at which point they will both merge into a new Mercy McAuley High School that will be located on the McAuley campus in College Hill.

The Sisters of Mercy, which sponsors the schools, said the decision was based on declining future enrollment.

Joe Corso, who is a board member of the Westwood Civic Association as well as a board member of Westwood Works, said he understands the rationale for the decision.

“I really do appreciate the struggle (the Sisters of Mercy were) going through,” he said. “It’s a tough situation. I believe they did what they think is the right thing to day without any malice.”

Mercy-McAuley merger: 4 questions and answers

This sentiment comes from a parent whose daughters and other family members have attended the school.

”The enrollment has declined with changing demographics,” Corso said.

However, Corso said he does have some consolation. His younger daughter is a senior at Mother of Mercy who will graduate this school year.

Karen Strasser, vice president of the Westwood Civic Association, said she will miss the tradition the school represented.

“I have respect for the legacy from generation to generation that a private school like Mercy has and what it brings to the community,” she said.

Strasser said although her family never attended the school, she understands the loss many in the community will feel when its doors close.

“It’s hard to envision driving down Werk Road and not having the school there,” she said.

Like Strasser, Steve Beckman, who is a treasurer for the Westwood Civic Association, does not have a direct connection to the school, but he empathizes with the impact the loss of the school will have on others.

“It’s obviously been a central part of the community for more than 100 years,” he said, adding that many of the residents have grandmothers and mothers who attended the school.

Beckman, though, said a big concern now is what’s next.

At this stage it is unclear what will happen with the Mercy High School building, whether it will be sold, leased or remain vacant after the closure.

”The primary concern from the Westwood Civic Association and other Westwood organizations (is) making sure the property, which is quite an asset to Westwood and the surrounding communities, is maintained and put to productive use for the community,” Beckman said.

Larry Eiser, who is a board member of both the Westwood Civic Association and Westwood Works, said it is important to work closely with the Sisters of Mercy moving forward.

He said at this stage the Sisters seem open to collaboration and getting feedback from Westwood officials.

“The sale price will not be the sole driver of what happens to that property,” Eiser said. “(The Sisters) understand what that property means to the community, and when it is repurposed they want it to be an asset to the community.”

Eiser said he is mindful it will take awhile for people in the community to recover from the loss of this institution. However, he said considering the possibility of another school at the site, whether it be a public or charter school, is potentially “a silver lining.”

”We just have to put the decision that has already been made behind us and put our energies into getting involved with the next big decision,” he said.

Mother of Mercy background

Mother of Mercy High School celebrated its centennial in 2015.

Founded by the Sisters of Mercy on Sept. 7, 1915, the school was originally called Mother of Mercy Villa and opened as a private academy for young women.

Its first students attended class in a farmhouse on the Glandorf property at the corner of Werk Road and Epworth Avenue in Westwood. The school’s first graduating class in 1919 consisted of only three students.

Construction began on Mercy’s permanent school building on Werk Road during the 1923-1924 school year.

In 1924, at the request of area parents, the school established a kindergarten department and became a coed elementary school and a secondary school for girls. The name of the school was changed to Mother of Mercy Academy.

Groundbreaking for the school’s east wing took place in 1928.

Mercy became an archdiocesan high school in 1943 to accommodate a growing number of young women. The class of 1945 was the first class to graduate from the newly named Mother of Mercy High School.

For additional details on the centennial and the history of Mother of Mercy High School, go online.