New Jersey Catholic school closes after 99 years as community opens time capsule

After 99 years of educating students in Camden, New Jersey, Holy Name School has officially closed its doors. On the last day of classes, students and staff gathered for a final assembly to honor the K-8 school's long history.  

Founded in 1927, Holy Name has been a cornerstone of the North Camden community, where generations of students have been educated with a focus on faith, academics and service.

Catholic Partnership Schools (CPS), which oversees Holy Name within the Diocese of Camden, said the decision to close came after reviewing enrollment trends, financial sustainability and the school's long-term viability.

"This is a deeply difficult moment for our school community," Jameka Walker, executive director of Catholic Partnership Schools, said. "We remain committed to supporting our students and families with care, compassion and dignity throughout this transition."

For seventh grader Xzavier Valdez, the closure means saying goodbye to a place that has shaped much of his childhood.

"I feel like I'm getting pulled away from my family, because this was my second home," Xzavier said.

Many hearts were heavy during Friday's assembly. But the mood shifted when alumni opened a time capsule they filled as students 25 years earlier.

Inside were pieces of their childhoods: class photos, a CD player, a pack of gum, a Tweety Bird plush and letters they wrote to their future selves.

One of those letters carried a message that still resonates today.

"It said, 'Don't give up on myself and keep pushing forward,'" Camden councilman Falio Leyba-Martinez, an alumnus of Holy Name School, said.

As the school closes this chapter, students and staff reflected on the relationships built within its walls and the time they spent together.

"I'm just so proud of my students and how hard they work every day," Holy Name School second grade teacher Dana Bowen said.

Officials said most students will continue their education at other schools within the Catholic Partnership Schools family, including St. Joseph Pro-Cathedral School in Camden, St. Cecilia School in Pennsauken and Sacred Heart School in Camden.

"My son Xzavier graduates from eighth grade next year and his friends made it a point to transfer to the same school," Holy Name School alumna Gerube Valdez said. "It's refreshing for us because at least all of his friends will be together."

Alumni are planning a reunion in July to celebrate a school that would have marked its 100th anniversary next year.