One of the toughest of life's lessons for an adolescent is that life's not fair.

Not only is life not fair for victims of war and famine, life often will not be fair for them. And students of the now-closed Cardinal Stritch High School are learning that lesson the hard way.

While some measure of melancholy may accompany the last graduating class of the Catholic high school, it will be the freshmen, sophomores and juniors who suffer the greatest loss since they will never be Cardinal Stritch graduates.

Junior Royce Pullins puts it succinctly: &#8220The closing of Stritch really stinks! I think our class really has it bad since we have to go to another school our last year. Most of us will be going to Keokuk (High School) but there are a few of us that have to go to other schools like Hamilton, Clark County and Warsaw.”

Pullins notes that closing the Catholic high school, which was organized in 1904 as St. Peter's and renamed Cardinal Stritch in 1958, ends &#8220a great legacy in Keokuk.” The school has occupied its present site on Plank Road since the mid 1960s.

&#8220Some of my classmates have been together since kindergarten,” notes Luke Boeck who agrees that closing the high school is very sad.

&#8220I've been in the Catholic school system all my whole life, so it would be rewarding to graduate from here,” says junior Lisa Varner.

&#8220All my family has graduated from Stritch, so it's … a tradition for my family to send their kids to Stritch.

&#8220Stritch is like a family,” Varner added. &#8220Most of us have been together since kindergarten, so not being able to graduate all together is sad.”

&#8220My father graduated from here,” says Tricia Cannon, also a junior.

&#8220I feel cheated,” she added. &#8220Now I have to spend my senior year in a new school with only a few of my friends.”

&#8220It's hard imagining graduating anywhere else,” says junior Mara Mann.

&#8220My classmates have become more than just the people I go to school with. Each one of them has had an important impact on my life. Even though we're (going) our separate ways the memories we've made and the good times we've shared will linger. (They) are what will keep Stritch alive.

&#8220The only thing we can do is look to the future,” Mann continues philosophically. &#8220We're taught to put our faith in God and keep going. By applying these lessons to our daily lives and living out our faith we are all sure to succeed no matter the path we take.”

When she heard the school was closing, Rose Corvaia says, &#8220I felt let down because I wanted to graduate and do my senior year here.

&#8220We could have done anything like fund-raisers … to keep it open another year or so! Some sophomores went so far as to write a letter to (television host) Oprah (Winfrey) about that … but she never responded.

&#8220I feel cheated because I've worked so hard to get where I am, and my grades have improved every year. I wanted it to be a tradition for my family to keep going to the Catholic schools here in Keokuk. Now my brothers and sisters won't know what Stritch is, but I will be around (to) tell them.”

Next year the Cardinal Stritch building will house pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students. High school students may attend Holy Trinity in Fort Madison or area public schools.