Cohoes schools unite in one building

The move had been anticipated for several years, but it still saddened parents and students when the announcement was made in June: The two halves of Cohoes Catholic School -- St. Agnes and St. Marie's -- would merge into one building.

That meant that fifth- through eighth-grade students from St. Agnes would join pre-kindergarten through fourth-graders at St. Marie's building. On June 21, St. Agnes' closed its doors for good.

On Sept. 4, Cohoes Catholic School will open to a combined student population of about 215.

Still going strong

Although the closing of any building is unfortunate, Sister Sandra Tripp, CSJ, principal, is quick to remind people that "we're closing a building, not a school. We're very positive about it. We feel this is only going to strengthen us."

In fact, since the move, programs for the upper grades, including computer and foreign language classes, have actually expanded.

Having junior-high students in the same building as primary students will also give Cohoes Catholic the opportunity to introduce "reading partners," allowing older children to help younger ones.

History of schools

St. Agnes and St. Marie's were once part of the Cohoes Consolidated Catholic School System, which included several other now-closed elementary and middle schools. The pair, the only Catholic schools left in Cohoes for some time, had been looking at the possibility of a merger since enrollment at St. Agnes began to decline.

"In ten years, we've dropped by 70 or 75 students, more or less," Sister Sandra said. That left St. Agnes with just 86 students. If that number continued to decline, she continued, "to keep a building open for 70 kids was not a financially secure move. We looked at our budget this year and our enrollment, and the decision was made for us."

The principal theorized that part of the reason for the decline in enrollment is that students have many choices for junior high school today, including LaSalle Institute and Catholic Central High School, both across the Hudson River in Troy.

Going to St. Marie's

Since St. Marie's was originally built as a kindergarten through eighth-grade parish school, officials knew it could accommodate the student body from St. Agnes.

There were several other reasons to choose St. Marie's as the school to stay open: It is a more modern building and owns enough land to expand in the future, if necessary. St. Agnes was bordered by other buildings and streets.

St. Agnes also needed major repairs, Sister Sandra said, including the replacement of windows. After St. Marie's suffered flood damage three years ago, it was renovated.

Getting together

Seven months of planning went into the merger. When teachers were told of the move in February, said Sister Sandra, their immediate concern was whether they would continue their teaching positions. Only two faculty members had to be let go as a result of the merger.

"We said to them, `We have to do what we have to do to maintain the strength of the system,'" the principal stated. "Our goal was to make it as smooth and positive a move as possible."

Parents' concerns about the move mainly centered on whether there would be enough space for all of the students in one building, she said. At the moment, fifth- through eighth-graders will have one classroom each at the end of one hallway. Since the lower grades are full, the school may see a rise in enrollment once those students progress to the upper grades.

"We have to see how the whole thing flies," Sister Sandra said.

Students ideas

Students' concerns were also addressed in planning the move. "The students think of St. Marie's as the `little school,'" said Sister Sandra. "They worried about whether they were going to be treated like junior high."

Lockers were brought over from St. Agnes for students and split lunches were scheduled so that older students didn't have to eat with younger ones. Instead of bringing "lunch money" in envelopes as the primary students do, older students will continue to buy lunch themselves.

Since St. Agnes' Lyceum will still be used as a gym for extracurricular activities, the same dances and events the students expected will still take place.

"We'll be able to have our computer lab, our library, our art room," Sister Sandra said. IBM computers will also be installed in classrooms, and the school hopes to be hooked up to the internet soon.

Pluses in move

One sacrifice of sorts made in the move is that the pre-kindergarten will move back to its former home, across the street in the basement of St. Marie's Church. The principal saw this as a positive: "When they get dropped off and picked up, it's at a different time than dismissal here."

Among other pluses for the move are that it will be easier on parents who had children attending both schools to make one stop instead of two, she said. Combining the schools also "gives everyone more of a sense of a pre-K through eight system. It's easier to coordinate our efforts.

"We're grateful for the support of the pastors, parishes and Diocese," she said. "We're moving in a new direction by looking at the overall picture for the school and doing what we think will strengthen the presence of Catholic education in Cohoes. I believe very strongly in this system. This is a positive step for us."

(Cohoes Catholic plans to hold an opening ceremony on Sept. 4, with a flag-raising and prayer. Sister Sandra hopes Cohoes politicians and pastors as well as diocesan officials will attend. In November, the Cohoes Consolidation will celebrate its 25th anniversary.)

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