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At a long table on the side of the auditorium at Christ the King School in Guilderland, four first-graders diligently scoop and spoon cookie dough onto tin cooking sheets. 

"I like making stuff," said Michelle Mariconti as she stared into the bowl of brown oatmeal mix.

In the middle of the gym, the third-graders bat an oversized purple ball back and forth over a volleyball net. "Get it," one team shouts, then the other side groans at a lost point. 

On the far side, Leroy Robinson, a father of two students, pauses between his volunteer duties to explain why he and his wife would pay tuition rather than enroll their children in the well-regarded public schools of Colonie where they live and pay taxes. 

"My daughter has major food allergies, so our main goal was to find a place that could adhere to her needs in a safe environment," he said. "So number one, it's health, but second, it's the learning environment." 

Families help create that environment, which is diverse. 

There are 155 students, down from a high of about 200 in 2000 but stable in the last two years, said the principal, Judith Smith. Of these, about 74 percent are Caucasian, 15 percent are Asian - from Japan, China, India and the Philippines - and six percent are African-American. Fittingly, the school held an International Night in January. 

Parents work as lawyers, civil servants, doctors and in construction. "We have kids from 12 different school districts," said Miss Smith. "Berne Knox, Guilderland, Bethlehem, Clifton Park and others." 

As at other Catholic schools, many parents enroll their children in the pre-Kindergarten or early childhood education program and then stay on (The pre-K program has two sections, while other grades have one). 

Families also help keep the school united and solvent by running a nearly constant schedule of social events and fundraisers. "Everything we do as fundraisers, we come together," Miss Smith said. 

Events such as the ziti supper, the Halloween Fun Night and the McDonald's night raise $20,000 a year. Then there are regular community events, such as a Thanksgiving meal and a Rodeo Night. 

At the latter, they'll serve the "cow flop" cookies that the first-graders were preparing.

At each of these, said Miss Smith, "You need people to set up, serve and take down." Since parents can chip in to varying degrees, the school initiated a $150 volunteer fee. If a family completes 16 hours of service, the family can have a refund, donate the money or roll it over to next year's tuition.

"It's definitely increased volunteers," said Miss Smith. 

Many help on school activities as well.

"My wife or I are always going on field trips," said Mr. Robinson, the father of Micaela and Malcolm. The family also belongs to the parish. The school and church are located in the same compound on Sumpter Ave. off Western Avenue just east of Route 155. 

Miss Smith said her staff knows that new students will not keep walking in the front door. "We want to keep what we have and add to it," she said. 

Teachers volunteer to recruit by, among other efforts, staffing the annual nursery fair at the Colonie town library. The school invites parents of three-year-olds to an open house. 

"Then the teachers write them thank-you notes," said Miss Smith. "They know the importance of personal contact."[[In-content Ad]]

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