Adirondack family trades log house for schoolhouse

Paul and Laura Gibaldi once owned 18 acres of land and an impressive log house in Chestertown, nestled in the Adirondack Mountains. But 18 months ago, they pulled up stakes and moved with their four girls to a modest house in Queensbury.

Why? Because they wanted their children to attend Catholic school.

"I had 18 acres on the Schroon River, but our children and Jesus come first," Mr. Gibaldi told The Evangelist.

Making the change

The family didn't originally intend to move. Mr. Gibaldi is a licensed Adirondack guide who also does slide presentations on Adirondack flora and fauna; Mrs. Gibaldi was a stay-at-home mom until the move.

The three school-aged girls -- Alison, 12; Mariana, 10; and Damaris, 8 -- attended North Warren Central School and religious education classes at St. John the Baptist parish in Chestertown. (Youngest daughter Therese is two years old.) While the children liked their old school, their parents had a critique: "Girls dressing like Britney Spears!"

"I wasn't ready for them to be in `J-Lo' low-riding jeans," Mrs. Gibaldi explained. She also felt that wearing Catholic-school uniforms "teaches them to stand up for their faith, which isn't easy to do. It's easier to blend in with pop culture and the ways of the world."

Looking for more

In addition, the Gibaldis felt that the girls' extremely small religious ed classes didn't give them enough exposure to other Catholic kids.

"It wasn't enough for us to teach them about the Rosary at home," Mrs. Gibaldi said. "We wanted to be around other families that pray the Rosary, too."

The Gibaldis debated moving to Virginia, where Mr. Gibaldi's family lives, or to Missouri, where Mrs. Gibaldi has a large extended family. But in the end, the scales tipped in favor of St. Mary/St. Alphonsus School in Glens Falls, where Mrs. Gibaldi knew many parents of students and was acquainted with Kathryn Fowler, the principal.

"We also knew a large number of kids that go there aren't even Catholic. There are a lot of Jewish kids, a lot of racial and ethnic backgrounds," Mrs. Gibaldi noted. "We don't want them just to be steeped in their own religion; we want them to learn about other religions, as well."

Moving experience

Moving brought some tears. Damaris told The Evangelist she still misses her old school, where "they did more projects." Her mother misses the lifestyle of the Adirondacks and their log home.

Mr. Gibaldi mourns his land. "You can take the man out of the mountains, but you can't take the mountains out of the man," he shrugged. But "no one loves his family more than me. I'd sacrifice anything for Jesus."

Enrolling three children in Catholic school also meant that Mrs. Gibaldi had to go back to work. She spends three days a week as an operating-room nurse at Glens Falls Hospital. She remarked that how they'd pay the tuition didn't even occur to the family until they had already moved.

"We do sacrifice, definitely," she stated, "but it's a little-known fact that they don't turn people away [from the school] for lack of payment. They work with people."

Happy days

The family is thrilled with St. Mary/St. Alphonsus School.

"It's such a loving environment!" Mr. Gibaldi exulted. "Everyone looks out for one another; they learn nurturing. There are small classrooms. The teachers are there because they want to be."

On the day The Evangelist visited, fifth-grader Mariana was away on a class trip to watch skiing in Lake Placid, but her sisters readily boasted about their new school.

"I really love it," said Alison, who's in seventh grade and excelling in a Spanish course. "At my old school, they wouldn't have started a foreign language until high school; St. Mary's starts in the fourth grade."

"You learn about Jesus more than in public school, and you're free to talk about Jesus and God," Damaris put in. A science fan, she was excited because her class had just made a working thermometer out of a soda bottle, clay and red food coloring.

Sign of the cross

For their parents, things as simple as a crucifix in every classroom make all the difference.

"It's tough, but it's so worth it," Mr. Gibaldi said of the family's move. "We brought these kids into the world; we have a responsibility to do the best for them. You make sacrifices."

Besides, he added, "living the Gospel these days can be crazy, but God never said it would be easy."

(01-30-03) [[In-content Ad]]