Dave Keller is the principal at Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic School.

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Opinion by Dave Keller

I recently received a proclamation from the Mayor's Office declaring the last week of January "Catholic Schools Week." As a Catholic school principal, I am delighted that Mayor Bob Walkup would honor our schools with such a proclamation.

However, I doubt many readers are aware that the mayor has proclaimed a special week for Catholic schools or even understand why he would do so. I believe the reasons Walkup has proclaimed Jan. 27 through Feb. 3 "Catholic Schools Week" are related to the contributions our schools make to the community.

First, a significant economic reason why Catholic schools should be celebrated by politicians: There are over 7,500 students attending Catholic schools in the Diocese of Tucson, with TUSD represented as their single-largest home district. If these children opted to attend public schools, it would further strain an already financially-challenged public-school system.

The fact that Catholic schools exist, relieving the public schools of the financial burden of educating these students, could be reason enough for some to celebrate Catholic schools.

But the real impact to our community is what happens inside Catholic schools. Our schools teach curriculum to the same mix of students taught in public schools with better results.

Last year, the Catholic schools in Tucson participated in AIMS testing for the first time. The results were impressive — overall the Diocesan schools in Tucson outperformed both TUSD and overall scores from around the state. What makes this even more notable is the fact that the children who attend Catholic schools are a representative socio-economic cross-section of our community.

Contrary to what some may think, Catholic school students are not exclusively children from wealthy families. Most are children from middle-class families that sacrifice to make tuition payments or lower-income families that receive tax-credit scholarships.

In fact at my school, Our Mother of Sorrows, the ethnic breakdown of our students is almost identical to the state's profile, and the economic status of our families is similar to the area's population. Even with this relationship in demographics between my school and the state, the school outperformed the students from the same community by as much as 70 percent on the AIMS test.

Regardless of the degree of success, the fact is that Catholic schools prepare their students for the next level of education, clearly a benefit to society. What a great proclamation that is.

Another advantage offered by Catholic schools is an additional contribution to society. Studies by some sociologists have suggested that Catholic schools provide "social capital" to their students. Those sociological studies advocate that, on balance, Catholic school graduates are more likely to participate in community affairs and volunteer than the average person.

Why wouldn't a community celebrate institutions that encourage our young people to become more engaged in society? Clearly, another reason for the proclamation.

I, for one, appreciate the fact that the mayor recognizes our success enough to proclaim Catholic Schools Week.