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By KIBRET MARKOS
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 29, 2000
ST. PETERSBURG -- Although Katie Barnash won't start high school until the fall, her search ended years ago.
The quest was complete in 1997, when her older sister, Zina, chose St. Petersburg Catholic High School. With the lessons learned from back then, 13-year-old Katie and her family feel they need look no further.
"Zina first went to the arts program at Gibbs High School, and she was unhappy," said her mother, Maureen Barnash, who has eight children.
"School was disrupted now and then. And Zina thought the curriculum was too structured for her."
Maureen Barnash began looking for other options. An older son of hers had gone to St. Petersburg Catholic High School in 1992, so mother and daughter decided to give it a try.
"We were looking for a safe environment, strong academics and a sports offering. St. Pete Catholic High had all of that. It also had a well-rounded arts program, which Zina liked."
Zina is an adopted child, and her mother felt she needed more in terms of reassurance and self-esteem. A smaller, private school became a better option.
"They give the students a lot of attention. That was very important for Zina." Barnash said she was impressed that the administrator knew every student by name.
Sue Smith, whose son, Ryan is a junior at the same school, made her choice for similar reasons. "This is a school where everybody knows everybody." St. Petersburg Catholic High School had 600 students during the 1999-2000 school year.
Ryan was zoned to Gibbs High School, where the 10-day enrollment in September was 2,018. But he and his mother thought the classes were too large and dropped the option, although they were satisfied with the programs offered at the school.
Barnash too is positive about public magnets despite her daughter's uncomfortable experience at Gibbs.
"I love the idea of a magnet. It's amazing how some kids know exactly what they want to do, and magnets are just right for them."
In both the Barnash and Smith families, religion is a principal value, influencing the choice of schools as well.
"We certainly considered religion in choosing St. Pete Catholic High for Zina and Katie," Barnash said. "It's good that the children continue to learn in school the values that they learned at home."
Smith feels the same way, and said she was impressed at how religion was "openly talked about and lived" at the school.
"My faith is an important value to me and I would like to give that to my children."