After nearly 100 years when St. Jerome’s Regional Catholic School opened its doors in 1921 in downtown Tamaqua, students, staff and alumni are saying farewell to the building and moving to the old Rush Township Elementary building over the summer.

The Diocese of Allentown purchased the building at 50 Meadow Ave., Hometown, from the Tamaqua Area School District for $1.2 million. The Tamaqua school board approved the sale at its March meeting.

Plans are to move into the Rush Township school over the summer and be ready for the first day of the 2018-19 school year on Aug. 27. As part of this plan, the school will close three of its buildings: the K-8 main building, the pre-K building across the street and St. John’s Church.

“We believe this move, if successfully completed, would be a very positive development for the St. Jerome Regional School family,” a letter sent by the diocese said. “The Rush Township school is newer, more spacious and has more classrooms. In addition, there is ample parking and bus access, and there are fields for athletics and other uses.”

Rush Elementary School opened in 1971.

In honor of the move, St. Jerome’s held an open house Thursday evening at its current 250 W. Broad St. location where students, parents, alumni and prospective families could visit the school and celebrate its history together one last time.

St. Jerome’s Director of Advancement Manda Smarr said the move, though bittersweet to her as a 2003 eighth-grade graduate, comes as a necessity.

“We have and will continue to outgrow this building,” Smarr said. “As someone who grew up going to school here and understanding the historic value of the building, I hate to see us go. But, I’m excited for the opportunities the new building will afford us.”

Next school year, St. Jerome’s expects a total enrollment of more than 200 students, Smarr said.

She also said there are plans to keep advancing technological programs for enrolled students.

“What it comes down to is we are becoming more and more reliant on technological advances in our classrooms,” Smarr said. “Technology is bridging the gap between play and learning and (the old building) was not designed for all we want to incorporate into our classrooms.”

Though hints of sadness were noted at the open house when alumni gathered to look at yearbooks, roam the halls and point out their old desks, general feelings of excitement are palpable, school Principal Amy Hannis-Miskar said.

The St. Jerome’s family also celebrated its last school Mass this Friday and invited families and alumni to join before its closing.

A letter from Diocese of Allentown Bishop Alfred Schlert was read during Masses at St. John XXIII Parish’s two churches.

In the letter, Schlert writes that he approved the request to merge St. Jerome with SS. Peter and Paul Church. The request, he wrote, came from the Rev. John Frink, pastor of St. John XXIII, along with its pastoral council and finance committee.

St. John XXIII was formed in 2014 by the merger of St. Jerome and SS. Peter and Paul, and services have been held in both churches since then. Beginning May 20, all services will be held at SS. Peter and Paul, 307 Pine St.

“Our staff and the students and their families are all looking forward to seeing what the new building will bring,” Hannis-Miskar said. “We’ve been working hand-in-hand with the diocese and think the transition will be seamless. I know we’re particularly excited to have all grades under the same roof, which I think will really strengthen our bond as a school family. We can take a deep breath and look to our future with confidence.”