St. Hubert’s students were back on their school steps for the start of the new school year. Photo/Jessica Lopez

Students of St. Hubert’s High School stood fanned out on the front steps of their school Friday, proud to cheer, “green, blue, pink, gold…our school won’t be sold.”

In January, they took those same steps, known today as the “steps of change,” to fight to keep their school open after the Archdiocese of Philadelphia put Hubert’s on a list of schools to be closed later that year. The students were able to raise $1.3 million, which, along with a pledge from donors and investors, was enough to keep Hubert’s doors open.

The first official day of the 2012-2013 school year was Sept. 5. A chorus of brown jumper-clad young women rallied to let their community know, “we’re from Hubert’s, couldn’t be prouder, if you can’t hear us, we’ll scream a little louder.”

“We need the support of the entire community, explained new President Frank Farrell. “The school can’t run on tuition alone. We need stakeholders, businesses and alumni. We are asking individual Catholics what their commitment to Catholic education is. All through the process of trying to save the school, the girls were always rallying.”

“Singing the school’s song with all the other girls definitely gave me chills,” senior Paige Mcleester said.

The girls still work hard fundraising money for their school today. The message the girls rally for is definitely loud and very clear: “we are here to stay.”

Luci Volpe and Jessica Lopez are students reporting for Philadelphia Neighborhoods, the publication of Temple University’s Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab.