Driscoll shows fight

Driscoll, in west suburban Addison, won seven state football championships in a row.
(Jon Sall/Sun-Times)

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Mark Twain once said: ‘‘The report of my death was an exaggeration.’’ Well, there is a chance the demise of Driscoll was exaggerated.

After an announcement last week that the small Catholic school in west suburban Addison would close after this academic year, the school isn’t going down without a fight.

Gene Faut is the chairman of a committee that hopes to save the school. A Web site, www.savedriscoll.org, is loaded with information about fund-raising events. And all Driscoll students have said they will return if the school is spared.

‘‘In five days we’ve raised $360,000, and we need to raise $1 million by April 20,’’ said Dave Schwabe, whose sons have excelled academically and athletically at the school. ‘‘More than just the money, we need a plan to sustain the school so this doesn’t happen again. We are not looking for a Band-Aid. Once in a while, a 99-to-1 shot hits. We’re upbeat about at least having a fighting chance.’’

Schwabe’s son David plays baseball at the University of St. Francis in Joliet. His son Steve, a Driscoll senior, is headed to the University of Chicago.

‘‘A lot of people and papers are saying it’s a funeral, but we’re fighting,’’ Steve Schwabe said. ‘‘It’s amazing to see how strong we are when everyone is rallying together.’’

‘Not ready to give up’

When a Loyola Academy graduate learned Steve Schwabe was headed to his alma mater in Hyde Park, he pledged $100,000.

Last Friday, after an emotion-filled meeting, the Christian Brothers — the religious order that runs the school — provided a framework by which previously announced plans to close the school could be changed.

‘‘We have our work cut out for us, but we are not ready to give up,’’ Faut said in a statement. ‘‘The Christian Brothers gave us a two-part mandate: a substantial and immediate influx of cash to cover immediate needs and the development of a realistic, comprehensive plan to create a sustainable Driscoll for the future.’’

The school has enjoyed amazing success in athletics, including eight state titles — seven of them in a row from 2001 to ’07 — in football, three in baseball and one in girls basketball. And 98 percent of its graduates go on to college.

‘‘Everyone and anyone has shown tremendous support,’’ said Gigi DiGrazia, an individual state champion in girls golf and a member of the Class 2A state champions in girls basketball in February.

‘‘I think we’ll keep it open with the support from alumni and the people that are here.

‘‘The day [the closing announcement] happened, there were teachers and students crying. This school has been my life. I still feel it’s not going to close.’’

‘I want to be a Highlander’

‘‘I certainly didn’t think the school would shut down,’’ said Nazareth football coach Tim Racki, who graduated from Driscoll and coached the first four of the Highlanders’ seven consecutive football champions. ‘‘It has been an emotional roller coaster. I went with Mike Burzawa [Evanston’s football coach, who replaced him and won three state titles]. We walked out with a glimmer of hope.

‘‘It was a very sad, melancholy time. We saw a handful of the kids who played for us, and we were reliving memories. It ran the gamut of emotions. I have two young boys, and I wanted to bring them back in, say, 10 years and show them where I went to school. I hope it is not going to be someone’s backyard. We’re holding on to a hope that it won’t happen.’’

A top football prospect for the fall is 6-foot, 195-pound junior Nick Campanella, who played running back, receiver, quarterback and cornerback last season. He ran for 1,000 yards and 18 touchdowns, caught 35 passes for 512 yards and four touchdowns and was named to the All-Suburban Catholic team. He also plays basketball and baseball.

‘‘I think it’s horrible for a lot of us,’’ he said. ‘‘This is our home and family. I don’t want to think about playing my senior year at any other school; I want to be a Highlander.’’