Mount Assisi Athletes Stunned to Learn School Will Close

Athletes who hold special memories of their time at Mount Assisi Academy shared their reaction to news of the school's June closing with longtime Southtown sports reporter Tony Baranek this week.

Cheryl Przychodni, 2002 graduate and all-conference volleyball player, is now an ad agency senior account manager. She recently visited the school to speak with the students.

“It’s sad. It’s a little heart-wrenching for people like me who have a long personal connection to the school. ... With volleyball, the person I was when I went into the school and the person I was when I left was very different. ... Their environment just allowed me to grow so much as a person and allowed me to develop in a way I needed to."

Alex Steel Sallay, 1997 graduate, volleyball and track star, was inducted into the Mount Assisi Hall of Fame in 2009. She's now an HR manager at Comcast. She learned of the closing on Facebook

“There were a lot of good friendships up there on the hill. The school had a family-oriented environment. Obviously, you got a good Catholic education. It was a good foundation for my life. ... When I saw on Facebook (about the closing) I was just like, ‘What is happening?’ ”

Donate to the Save Mount Assisi campaign here

Patch coverage of the Mount Assisi Closing includes:

• Mt. Assisi Academy to Close in June
• Students, Alum Rally on Facebook to Save the School
• Students, Parents, Alum Plead: 'Save Our School' on Social Media