Roger Bacon Announces New Fathers John and Jim Bok Catholic Educator Grant

Paying it Forward – to Greater Things

Roger Bacon is excited to announce the creation of a new educational grant, available to Catholic educators starting next school year, to help ease the financial burden of providing their own children with a Catholic high school education. The Fathers John and Jim Bok Catholic Educator Grant is available to the children of any current Catholic elementary school teacher or staff member working in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati who are accepted to attend Roger Bacon. This $1,000 tuition grant is renewable for each of the students’ four years at Roger Bacon, with the only stipulations that the parent maintain employment at a Catholic elementary school and the student be in good standing. The award is named after Father John Bok, OFM, Roger Bacon Class of 1953, and his younger brother, Father Jim Bok, OFM. Both served as beloved teachers and Principals for decades at Roger Bacon and continue to be involved with the school community.

As one of the oldest Catholic high schools in the city, Roger Bacon takes its responsibility to preserve the experience of Catholic education in Cincinnati seriously. With 90% of its current students graduating from Catholic elementary schools, Roger Bacon wants to help students continue their Catholic education from grade school to high school and beyond.

“We do not actively seek students from public schools,” emphasizes Admission Director, Rob Rickenbaugh. “Our admission efforts are focused almost entirely on Catholic elementary schools. We believe we have a moral imperative to emphasize enrollment from those schools and provide a landing spot for students and families who have committed to educating their children in a Catholic environment.”

This focus and dedication has led to the creation of several programs benefitting our local Catholic elementary schools. Roger Bacon supports 3rd grade reading programs at St. Clement and St. Francis Seraph. Additionally, Roger Bacon provides its Algebra I curriculum for 8th graders, to include all course materials (books and calculators) free of charge, as well as a teacher stipend to help those schools with retention of qualified math teachers. Local schools Roger Bacon has partnered with include St. Vincent Ferrer, John Paul II, St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Vivian and St. Clement, among others. This fall, Roger Bacon begins a High School Placement Test (HSPT) pilot program at St. Clement with the goal to help students at Catholic elementary schools gain acceptance to the high schools of their choice. With the creation of this new grant, coupled with the lowest tuition of any traditional Catholic school in Cincinnati, Roger Bacon aims to ease some of the financial stressors for those individuals who have dedicated their professional lives to enhancing the Catholic education mission.

“At Roger Bacon, we are committed to making a Catholic education affordable for everyone – especially those employed at Catholic schools, and want to recognize the sacrifices made by these dedicated individuals” says Roger Bacon President, Steve Schad. “Through the programs and initiatives already in place, we strive to give back to the Catholic elementary schools who are the source for the great majority of our students. This new educational grant for Catholic educators, worth up to $4,000 for a high school student, will not only ease the burden of a Catholic high school education, but emphasizes the importance that these individuals have to the development of the hearts and minds of our youth.”

The creation of this grant also helps support a continuum of Catholic education integral to the mission of Roger Bacon. All Roger Bacon graduates, simply by attending and graduating from Roger Bacon, are eligible to receive a $20,000 college scholarship to attend St. Bonaventure University, a Franciscan education partner, located in St. Bonaventure, New York.

The goal is simple – provide support to students and families throughout the educational years of a student to make a quality Catholic education a reality.

As Principal Tim McCoy points out, “In today’s challenging world, we need, now more than ever, students who are educated in a Catholic environment where traditional values and morals are both taught and reinforced on a daily basis. This grant, in conjunction with the variety of supports already provided, are tangible examples of the importance that Roger Bacon places on ensuring a Catholic education is both affordable and available.”