Alumnae and other supporters of Rosati-Kain High School in St. Louis, Mo., say they will fight to keep the all-girls Catholic school open.
KSDK-TV reports that an alumnae-led group, RK Forever, has formed with a goal of converting the archdiocesan school to an independent school.
"We don't go down without a fight," alumna Jeane Mitchell-Carr said.
The Archdiocese announced last month that it plans to close Rosati-Kain when the 2022-23 academic year concludes.
According to the school's website, it was founded in 1911 with the opening of the Rosati Center and Kain High School, which merged to create Rosati-Kain High School. It was the first school to integrate in St. Louis in 1947.
Rosati-Kain says it is the only Archdiocesan, college-preparatory, all-girls Catholic high school in the St. Louis area. The school has about 300 students.
Supporters of the effort to keep the school operating say that more than 500 community members have stepped forward to help save the school.
Alumnae are filing a 501C-3 to create the non-profit Rosati Kain Academy, so it can accept donations.
A spokesman for the Archdiocese says it has met with RK Forever to discuss the issues involved with Rosati-Kain's becoming an independent Catholic school.
"We expect to receive a proposal from this group in the coming weeks," the spokesman said.
