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After years of suffering the bumpy ball fields behind their school, athletes from Bishop Maginn High School in Albany will use lush new grounds for some games. And in a time when schools are ramping up their advanced courses, Maginn will offer students math and sciences courses worth college credits.

Both steps come through agreements with The College of Saint Rose in Albany. One pact allows the Maginn varsity baseball and softball teams to play three games each on CSR's new Plumeri Sports Complex fields; the other offers Maginn students a number of college-level math and science courses.

Currently, Bishop Maginn plays their home baseball games at Bleeker stadium, about three miles from the school. The new fields, located on what was formerly Hoffman Park in Albany, are only a half-mile from Bishop Maginn.

The complex is actually closer to Maginn than to CSR, which is about three miles from the fields. After meetings between the two schools and the Albany diocesan Catholic Schools Task Force, a deal was reached.

"They are top-notch athletic fields and they provided a great opportunity for the kids," said Joseph Grasso, principal of Bishop Maginn. "Saint Rose couldn't have been more cooperative and helpful to us."

Bishop Maginn is now working on adding a women's soccer team next year, and is hoping to use the soccer field at the Plumeri Sports Complex for some of their home games, as well.

"We hope to increase the cooperative initiative next year," said AnneMarie Barkman, head of school at Bishop Maginn. "The students and the parents have praised the move and we would all love to further things in the future."

CSR and Bishop Maginn have also reached a deal to offer Maginn students the opportunity to take a number of math and science classes and receive college credit toward The College of Saint Rose, which can also be transferred to other schools.

"Under the program, students can graduate from Bishop Maginn having completed their first semester of college, if they choose to do so," Ms. Barkman explained.

For years, Maginn has had a similar program in place with The University at Albany's Spanish department, through which students can receive up to six college credits, thus filling the foreign language requirement for most colleges.

The partnership with CSR makes sense, according to Ms. Barkman, since both schools share a basis in Catholic education and are near one another.

"We are very blessed with our location to be so close to a local Catholic college and we would like to expand it as much as possible," she said.

(Bishop Maginn's principal and football coach, Joseph Grasso, is being inducted into the Capital Region Football Hall of Fame for his 33 years of service and excellence in coaching. The ceremony will be Aug. 7 at the Colonie Elks Club.)

(06/10/10)[[In-content Ad]]

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