Doane Stuart marking 25th

This year, the school is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a number of celebrations.

The school shares its campus with a community of 75 retired nuns at the Kenwood Convent of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart and hosts a Buddhist worship center. Most of the buildings were built in the 1870s in the Beaux-Arts style of architecture. The chapel, a Gothic revival, seats 450 people.

Coming together

Students come from many different faith backgrounds including Jewish, Roman Catholic, Episcopal and most Protestant faiths, Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim.

According to director of admissions Marie Dieffenbach, the school has enjoyed 25 years of success because "a large part of life is learning how to work together, and at Doane Stuart School that is what the students learn. Our school is the only successfully merged ecumenical school in the country."

Morals and ethics

"In the lower grade levels, students are taught about religion and religious beliefs at age-appropriate times," Ms. Dieffenbach noted. "They learn basic social skills, such as telling the truth, being honest, respecting each other. There are no bullies here, no social cliques, and we have a strong standard of behavior. Children are required to respect each other in all ways."

In the higher grades and high school, courses such as bio-ethics and comparative world religions are studied. Ms. Dieffenbach indicated that such courses enable the students to understand the differences among themselves and their beliefs, and to respect the beliefs of others.

Understanding

"Ignorance allows for fear, prejudice and hate to grow. Education is the key to tolerance," she said. "Once a person comes to know someone who is different from them, they learn to respect that person and his or her differences, whether those differences are a certain religious belief or the color of their skin."

Students are also required to volunteer for community service. Every year, the 250 students at the school donate 5,000 hours of community service at such locations as Community Maternity Services (a Catholic Charities agency), the Center for the Disabled, the Childs Nursing Home and Habitat for Humanity. They also donate their time to the Regional Food Bank and the Ronald McDonald House in Latham.

Young and old

The school calls this effort a "cross-generational reading buddies" program. The school also has an intergenerational choir that includes students and 90-year-old Sisters of the Sacred Heart.

Bishop Howard J. Hubbard said recently: "We celebrate...the vision of those people who, a quarter century ago, realized that the differences that separated them were far fewer than the many values that united them. It was these common values that inspired them to merge the St. Agnes School and the Kenwood Academy to create the Doane Stuart School. Their leap of faith has been a great success."

(On April 27, Doane Stuart plans a 25th anniversary gala. Several prizes will be raffled off, including a 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser and the use of a vacation home in France. For information on the school, visit [email protected] or call Marie Dieffenbach at 465-5222.)

(01-25-01) [[In-content Ad]]