Appeal Denied: Vatican Keeps Sioux Falls Catholic School Closed

The Vatican has officially determined the fate of a neighborhood Sioux Falls Catholic School.

An appeal sent to The Vatican to keep Christ the King Elementary School in Sioux Falls has been denied. Officials recommend that now time for teachers, staff, students, and parents "to move forward."

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According to our news partners at Dakota News Now, parents of Christ the King Elementary School who were appealing the closure of the school submitted a 148-page appeal to The Vatican. It was the last effort parents could do to keep their beloved school open. Despite the results, this effort did not go unnoticed in the Sioux Falls community and in The Vatican.

Christ the King Elementary (via Facebook)

Now officials are encouraging those with Christ the King Elementary School take everything they have learned into their new journeys. The school may be gone, but the memories will never be forgotten.

“The time to move forward is now. Please take the best of what you learned and experienced at Christ the King Elementary and carry it forward, wherever your children or grandchildren attend school this Fall. No words can fully ease the sadness, anger, and frustration we all feel. Remember that feelings are something you have, not who you are.”

Christ the King Elementary School was awarded a Blue Ribbon for academic excellence by the U.S. Department of Education last year.

I know this is a frustrating time for everyone involved with Christ the King Elementary School. I've witnessed a grand total of three of my schools closing: My grade school (2005), high school (2017), and college (2017). When Saint Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Indiana, announced they were suspending operations after the 2016-2017 academic year, I was just a year shy of graduation.

Hold your head high! You never gave up on Christ the King Elementary School. It takes a lot of courage to stand up for what you believe in.

Gone But Not Forgotten - Iconic Sioux Falls: Whiffer's Sandwiches

The Merriam-Webster definition of iconic is "widely recognized and well-established." That would definitely describe Whiffer's Sandwiches which used to call North Minnesota Avenue home.

The gone but not forgotten sandwich shop was located in an old house at 1133 North Minnesota Avenue. It served sandwiches to Sioux Falls from November 1978 until the summer of 2020.

Gallery Credit: Karla Brown

Flashback 1992: Inside Sioux Falls Old Washington High School

Gallery Credit: Ben Kuhns