Three years ago, St. Patrick's School won a battle to stay open.

Now, staff, students, and parents at the Walkerton school feel like they've officially lost without a fight.

Bishop John D'Arcy told the parish on Sunday, the school is closing and merging with St. Michael's in Plymouth.

They knew the schools' years were numbered, but they didn't think the end would come so soon.

The diocese almost closed it in 2005, but gave a list of requirements including paying off its debt, raising tuition and keeping 55 students enrolled.

They barely hit that mark then and enrollment has since dipped lower.

As Julie and Michael Zehner flip through the pages of their St. Patrick’s School yearbooks they think, “There’s no class like class at St. Pat’s.”

Michael was in the graduation class of 2004 and Julie will be graduating this year.

Their mother, Sandy Zehner, says she considers herself lucky that her children went to school here.

She goes on to say, “Lucky, but saddened for everybody else.”

She’s saddened because the tiny school of less than 40 kids is closing.

She says, “ We were prepared in a way because of knowing what we've gone through this before.”

Newscenter 16 was standing right there three years ago, when that magic moment happened. Fifty-five students were needed to keep the doors open for an additional three years.

Julie, a sixth grader now, remembers that day.

She says, “I remember the older kids were just devastated like the parents were.”

We asked Sandy Zehner, “When you met that 55 mark did you think you're worries were over?” She said, “No. Not at all. It's always what if.”

The Zehner's say the abrupt announcement had everyone stunned.

Julie says, especially the fifth graders.

She says, “Some of them aren't happy they have to change schools for sixth grade.”

So, rather than focus on something out of their control, they're thinking about the life-long memories people of all ages made here over the last 52 years.

Sandy says, “One of our teachers here was in the first graduating class.”

Michael says, “We're always talking about past field trips we took, reports we did in school, how hard it was here. Not hard, but it prepared us for public school.”

Bishop D'Arcy says there were just 39 students compared with 68 students 11 years ago.

For this reason, he says it's in the students' best interest that the school merge with St. Michael's .

Bishop D'Arcy wants to make it clear, St. Patrick Parish is not closing.

He hopes to have a full-time priest in Walkerton by July.