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Community reacts as Carson Long Military Academy announces closure

Mimma Trapoli has owned Mamma’s Pizza shop in New Bloomfield since 1982. “It is like a family, yes,” said Trapoli. So when she heard about Carson Long Military ...

Mimma Trapoli has owned Mamma’s Pizza shop in New Bloomfield since 1982.

“It is like a family, yes,” said Trapoli.

So when she heard about Carson Long Military Academy, which is right up the street, will not reopen next school year, she says she was shocked.

“Every year when the kids leave it’s a sad part, and then when they come, you feel like in this small community you get people from different races and stuff,” said Trapoli.

The school president announced in a letter they, "...do not have the financial resources to continue operations as they have in the past," and therefore will not reopen in the fall.

This is a change, since the school, students, and faculty, have been a part of New Bloomfield for nearly two centuries.

“They would come and clean the sidewalks or come in and grab stuff here. You would see them walking by, going down to the pizza place and they would leave, so they became a part of the community,” said Penny Sheaffer, pharmacy technician at Bloomfield Pharmacy.

Both businesses say they don’t expect a major financial set back, since they were used to operating when school was out in the summer months.

But they do think the community will feel a loss in another way.

“There’s kids that come back. And they have teenage kids, kids that are already married. They look forward to reunions to come back, yes I will miss that,” said Trapoli.

According to the letter, the school is working on a joint venture with Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

Those details are expected to be released in the coming months.

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