If you have watched a minimum of two minutes of the nightly news on any random channel, you have noticed that America is going through what some people like to call a recession. Whether it is what they say it is or not, it has basically affected everyone in America in some way or another. This includes Keystone and all of its attendees, teachers, and staff.

Some of the teachers and staff at Keystone have either had to give up their jobs or take less hours. In January teachers Kathleen Sherburne, Sheri Bowyer, Dorothy Hoffman, and Amanda Hinton were all furloughed. In addition, guidance counselor Mrs. De Klocke’s position was changed to part time.

Last week Mr. Frank Murphy, the Spirtual Formation Director, was also furgloughed. Mr. Steve Reithmiller’s hours were reduced to part time.

Keystone has been helped out by the 4D Foundation with the things there is just not enough money for, but because of the market crash, the funds available to be given to Keystone by the 4D Foundation have decreased, causing a downsize in money and staff. A

ccording to Mrs. Henline, "4D has contributed over a million dollars each year since we opened. The market crash has impacted their ability to continue funding at this rate. They will still support us as much as they possibly can."

Instead of letting the normally discouraging news get her down, however, Mrs. Henline has a different way of looking at it. "I guess what I want people to know is that people have to be confident that Keystone will be here for years to come and be strong. God has blessed us and continues to bless us everyday." She said. "Personally I can’t wait to see what’s ahead because he’s got a perfect plan for us. This is God’s school and He’s not gonna leave us."

Mrs. Henline says that what we need to do is keep our heads high and believe that God will help us through this. She says we need to believe that we won’t go under if we keep trying to find ways to make money and keep Keystone going.

Some fundraisers that Keystone has done and made money off of in the past are flower sales and market day. A very recent fundraiser that Keystone has just done for the first time is a Valentines Day Banquet. The banquet was held Saturday on February 7. The cost was $25 a head for dinner, entertainment, and free babysitting. The event was very successful and the school raked in a little more than $2,000.

With more events like this planned for Keystones fairly near future, the financial future of keystone isn’t as dark and dismal as people make it sound or assume it is. Keystone plans to announce a new fundraiser sometime soon and wants to have a minimum of two fundraisers per year. When asked if Keystone will be offering financial aid to students next year, Mrs. Henline replied, "Yes, but we are looking for additional ways to fund the school so we can enlarge our circle of support to include not only 4D, but other patrons as well."

All in all, the key to keeping Keystone up, running, and thriving is to have hope and be creative in ways to make money such as raising the number of kids that attend and finding new ways to make money.