Amsterdam school revived with new education efforts

Despite its closure last June, the halls of St. Stanislaus School in Amsterdam are again abuzz with the chatter of children.

Declining enrollment caused the closure. Rev. David Mickiewicz, pastor, said that just 83 students attended kindergarten through eighth grade in its final year, with the last graduating class numbering only ten.

He was determined that the building be put to good use, but he had barely assembled a committee of parishioners to look for new tenants when his phone began to ring. Two local women, Darlene Myers of Myers Dance Studio and Martha Frank of the Whispering Pines Preschool, wanted to rent space.

Kids are back

Already, four rooms are filled:

* The dance studio, a foundational part of the Northeast Ballet (based at Proctor's Theater in Schenectady), is preparing students to dance in the Nutcracker Ballet this season;

* Whispering Pines serves preschoolers with handicaps, particularly autism;

* the new School of Hope Preschool, opened by Hope DeZolt, provides an affordable preschool program for three-year-olds; and

* former St. Stanislaus pre-K teacher Barbara Hidde has started a pre-K program for four-year-olds.

Sprucing up

The parish quickly prepared the building for its new tenants over the summer. Parishioners painted classrooms, other workers sanded the floors, and barres and a wall of mirrors were installed for the ballet school.

The school also got a new name: St. Stanislaus Center for Learning and the Arts.

"It's got a nice ring to it," Father Mickiewicz stated. "I'm very pleased, and I'm hoping the parishioners are. From closing the school in June and opening in mid-September, that's a quick turnaround. I expected to have an empty building for at least a year."

More to come

The pastor noted that parishioners had been asked for input on how the building should be used, and most wanted some form of education to take place there.

He would like to see even more of the available space rented. He pointed out that while some of the school's supplies went to nearby St. Mary's Institute, "we have a whole room of computers -- at least 20 -- so someone could teach computers if anyone's interested."

The parish is looking into applying for grants to install a ramp and elevator in the building, making it more handicapped-accessible.

Father Mickiewicz hopes that putting the word out about the building will draw more prospective tenants, whom he encouraged to call him.

"We're open to talking to anyone who wants to talk to us," he stated.

(St. Stanislaus parish is still helping families to provide a Catholic education for their children. About 35 of the school's students transferred to St. Mary's Institute, and seven families have received financial aid from the parish to cover higher tuition costs. Contact St. Stanislaus parish at 842-2771.)

(10/6/05) [[In-content Ad]]