Queen of Peace High School rallies to raise funds to prevent closure

A North Arlington Catholic high school held a rally Wednesday in an attempt to raise enough funds to stay open. Queen of Peace High School needed to raise $1 million by Thursday or the Newark Archdiocese

News 12 Staff

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Jun 30, 2016, 6:26 AM

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Updated 3,121 days ago

A North Arlington Catholic high school held a rally Wednesday in an attempt to raise enough funds to stay open.

Queen of Peace High School needed to raise $1 million by Thursday or the Newark Archdiocese could close the school down due to low enrollment.

The school has been trying to raise money ever since the news broke. Several alumni have made large, generous donations, but the school still needed more if it were going to meet its goal.

The rally held Wednesday was a fundraiser, auction and pep rally all rolled into one in an attempt to fill the deficit.

"Everybody coming together has really energized and put us in a direction for the future," says science teacher Lynn McGill. "I see that as a real positive."

Parents and students are donating their time at the rally, in the hopes that their prayers will be rewarded.

Even future students are doing their part to save the school. Fifth-grader Matthew Ferreira won $135 in the 50-50 raffle and immediately donated the money back to the school.

"I gave it back to the high school because I really want to go to the high school when I'm older," he says.

By Wednesday evening, the school was just $100,000 short of the $1 million goal. Because of this, the archdiocese has indicated that it will extend the deadline to raise the rest of the money.