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In one building of Academy of the Holy Names' sprawling Albany campus, preschoolers modeled princess dresses and second-graders sang a days-of-the-week tune in French.

In another building, high school seniors contemplated reasons for low voter participation in America during time periods when it seemed paradoxical: for instance, after women received the right to vote and after the voting age was lowered.

At the end of the day, all 373 students gathered for a Mass in the upper school auditorium for the feast of the Immaculate Conception.

AHN prides itself in being the Capital Region's only Catholic, private, all-girls college preparatory day school for pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. But other characteristics - such as dedication to faith formation, service learning and science - also set it apart.

Founded in faith
The school was founded in 1884 by the Sisters of the Holy Names. The sisters dedicated themselves to education in the faith, education in schools and education for justice.

In Albany, a low faculty-to-student ratio coupled with the focus on girls builds self-esteem and ensures academic success, leaders say.

"In a coed situation," explained Sister Karyl Fredricks, SNJM, a lower school religion teacher, "young ladies tend to get neglected because the younger men are the focus."

Girls are more likely to raise their hands and participate in sports in the absence of boys, added Eva Joseph, campus president.

"The peace that it builds in a single-gender environment is truly an asset," she told The Evangelist.

Ninth- and 10th-graders at AHN were recently inspired to consider science and technology careers by a visit from a female professor from the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at The University at Albany.

Science boost
AHN offers both earth and physical sciences in eighth grade and advanced placement biology and environmental science in high school. A three-year science research program instills practical skills.

Students enter the Intel Science Competition annually; three have reached the semifinals in recent years. One entrant hypothesized why cooked blueberries exceed raw ones in cancer protection.

From an early age, the girls are formed in the Catholic faith according to the principles of the sisters.

"Our faith formation is twofold: knowledge and experience," Sister Karyl explained.

In addition to starting each day with a prayer, elementary students at AHN participate in communal prayer services to celebrate feast days. In December, they participate in a service before the Jesse tree and Advent wreath and act out the nativity story.

The upper school offers a leadership in ministry class which gives the teenagers the skills to plan school liturgies, lector, sing and assist the sacramental minister.

Here to serve
Service also starts early. Three-year-olds place Thanks-giving food collections on the altar at liturgies as a "gift to God's people," Sister Karyl said.

Older elementary students earn money for charities by doing chores at home. One class, for example, provided the nails to build a roof for a Habitat for Humanity home; another provided the back door.

Some classes use their earnings to purchase bedding for homeless shelters. Others collect eyeglasses and bag them for donation.

"We try to do very specific things because [the girls are] little," Sister Karyl said.

Currently, second-graders are earning coins to buy a game for a girl who won't receive gifts from Santa "because he might not be able to find her."

All students from AHN's lower school adorn a "mitten tree" with mittens and scarves they collect. Middle school students participate in Pennies for Peace, an international service learning program that sends pennies to schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The staff makes a point never to tally the results of such collections, Sister Karyl said: "We collect it and we give it."

She and the pupils also use sensitive language to describe the people they help. The impoverished become "God's hungry people;" the homeless, "those who are cold."

"People do not just need to be labeled," said Sister Karyl.

Going further
Once the girls reach high school, service learning becomes more independent. Ninth- and 10th-graders log at least five hours of service a year; 11th-graders log 10 hours.

BY their senior year at AHN, students commit to 20 hours of service to a local institution and write about their expectations, what they learned and how the experience fulfilled their Gospel call.

The students fulfill four different types of service: social service, social witness, social education and social action. This allows them to voice their opinion on issues, educate others and even change policy.

"They gain an understanding of the Gospel call to justice," said Mary Anne Vigliante, principal of the upper school. "Our hope is that it becomes for them a way of life."

She offered the example of an alumna who practices law and offers pro-bono casework for prison inmates.

Alumni make a habit out of returning to the school to visit, Sister Karyl added.

"She's not just another number on the roster," she said of a typical AHN student. "She is a child that is important to us."

(12/16/10) [[In-content Ad]]

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