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The Amsterdam/Galway area doesn't have a Catholic high school. Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School in Schenectady would like to become the school of choice for Catholic families from that area.

To that end, ND-BG will begin busing Amsterdam-area students the 20 miles or so to the school this fall.

"We have a decent amount of students from that area already," said principal Peter Fusco. "Our hope is that, if we provide transportation, it will increase. We're the closest option" for Catholic families wishing to continue their children's Catholic education after they graduate from St. Mary's Institute in Amsterdam.

Only about a dozen of ND-BG's 250 students are from the Amsterdam/Galway area, but when the school does online advertising, statistics have shown the most clicks on their ads come from Amsterdam families.

Mr. Fusco told The Evangelist it's difficult these days for many parents to drive their children to school -- especially if they live outside the radius in which school districts will provide busing.

ND-BG has already booked a bus for the coming school year, and three or four families have signed up. There will be a $50 monthly fee for the bus, which will only run in the morning, since most students don't need a ride home: "So many kids do activities or athletics after school; they'd have to get picked up later [by parents] anyway," Mr. Fusco noted.

ND-BG will be advertising online in the coming months. The principal is eager to add to the school's enrollment through the new busing option.

"We're ready to go right now," he said.

Some schools in the Albany Diocese hold open houses in the summer, but families can visit ND-BG anytime, he added: "We consider summer to be a 24/7 open house."[[In-content Ad]]

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