SAINT GREGORY'S GROWS

The seal of Saint Gregory's School in Loudonville includes the motto "discere, adseqi, fieri" -- "to learn, to achieve, to grow."

Founded in 1962, the private Catholic school for boys intends to work on that growth: Saint Gregory's will go co-educational for the 2016-17 school year, admitting both girls and boys for nursery school through fourth grade.

Willard Anderson II, president and chair of the school's board, noted that, "while single-gender education has long been one of the hallmarks" of Saint Gregory's, enrollment is projected to slow, with families having fewer school-aged children and citing "the inconvenience of dropping young children at different schools." School officials hope that admitting girls will boost enrollment and satisfy the needs of more families.

Saint Gregory's had already offered co-ed nursery, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes. Mr. Anderson cited more than 100 other members of the National Association of Independent Schools that have gone co-ed in recent decades.

"While we believe the addition of young girls to these grades will greatly enhance the program, we are committed to maintaining small class size and individualized attention," he added. (KB)[[In-content Ad]]