St. John Vianney Cure of Ars School (SJV) was founded in 1963 to meet the needs of the surrounding military community. The demographics of the Castle Hill section of the Bronx have changed but the SJV administration still served the needs of its residents. Many of its students were first-generation Americans of Hispanic and Latino descent with existing family ties to the Caribbean. In recognition of this connection, for Lent, SJV galvanized its school family to financially assist a young girl in the Dominican Republic who needed open heart surgery.
The school mission was to provide a Catholic-centered educational environment. Christian values and teaching were interwoven within the school curriculum.
St. John Vianney Cure of Ars was a family centered Catholic school teaching Pre-kindergarten through 8th grade. It was connected to the St. John Vianney Parish located on the corner of Castle Hill avenue and Homer avenue in the Bronx. SJV, as the students called it, was a small school having only one class per grade, averaging 25-30 students per class. Typically, the same group of children entering Pre-K together would graduate 8th grade together ten years or so later.
In 2005, the school adopted its mascot, Vincent the lion. The school colors were purple and gold. To celebrate All Saints Day, students picked a saint to write a report on, and dressed up as their chosen saint for a Saint Parade around the Castle Hill neighborhood. The parade lasted about 30 minutes every October.
Despite the family-centered structure, SJV had its fair share of internal trauma. A number of teachers were hired without having finished their degree. Math scores in SJV were low and 8th grade graduates had to receive tutoring in high school to keep up. The following school year was disastrous. The replacement principal was disliked by the parents due to her attitude and lack of care to the governing of the school. Eventually, the Archdiocese stepped in on accusations of embezzlement. Many parents pulled their children out of SJV. The 2009-2010 school year had an average 15 students per class.
The school's last principal was able to turn things around. He increased the school's enrollment and overall math scores.
In 2011 it was announced that St. John Vianney would be among a group of small Catholic elementary schools in NYC that the Archdiocese planned to close. There were no fundraisers or petitions to save the school, as most students and alumni were not told of the school's closing until a few months before its final days. SJV's last 8th grade class graduated in June 2011. The class, faculty, and alumni who attended were given banners with the school's name, mascot, and dates printed on it.
Today the school is empty and it is unknown what will become of the building.
