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Blessed Sacrament School in Albany has long been a staple in the Catholic Diocese. But when the school opened in 1916, things did not go as smoothly as planned. 

With the construction of the school building not completed on schedule, classes were at first taught in the basement while the work continued overhead. And when more kids than expected enrolled in the school, they were forced to bring their own chairs to sit in.

Since that time, Blessed Sacrament has not only become one of the most recognizable schools in the region, but has brought new innovations and, just recently, more room for students. Despite trying times for Catholic schools, Blessed Sacrament recently expanded. It also makes good use of its alumni network for support and donations.

Endowed by past
The school occupies a low-slung brick building on Central Avenue near Rawson Street just east of the towering brownstone parish church. 

"I had the privilege of what came before me, which was an excellent school," said Sister Patricia Lynch, RSM, the principal who is entering her ninth year at the position. "We have excellent academic programs with very dedicated teachers."

Expansion
Currently home to 230 students, Blessed Sacrament has just recently welcomed a new addition to the school - a three-year old pre-K program in which a classroom was built to accommodate them.

When the school started receiving numerous calls from parents to see if they could get their three-year-olds into the pre-K program, Sister Patricia and Pastor Rev. John Bradley decide it was time to do something about it.

"This was all Father Bradley's idea," Sister Patricia said.

Father Bradley dismissed that rather modestly. "They all know more about it than I do," he said with a smile.

In order to carve out space to build a classroom, four adjacent areas were re-vamped to create one big room. 

An old locker room that became a storage room, a hallway and the faculty room it led to, and a concession stand used as a kitchen were the victims of a major overhaul which produced a brand-new classroom for a three-year-old pre-K program. 

Complete with a bathroom, brand new floors, freshly painted walls with Winnie the Pooh and friends depicted on them, and an area for reading and play time, Blessed Sacrament's new classroom now brings a new tradition to a place that is filled with them.

"It offers everything a parent would want," said Kim Keado, who serves as the pre-K teacher. "They see their children growing and learning. And they're taking in what we're teaching them and bringing it home with them."

She continued, "It's just a wonderful environment for the children. And they learn responsibility here too."

(This is one in an occasional "Spotlight" series that profiles Catholic schools and religious education programs from around the 14 counties of the Albany Diocese.)[[In-content Ad]]

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