School celebrates 50 years of education

As other Catholic grade schools prepare for the end of the school year with assemblies, prayers and final exams, Our Lady of Victory School in Troy is celebrating 50 years of Catholic education with parties, song and socials.

In May, for example, the school held an ice cream social, a road race, a choral performance, an anniversary dinner and alumni Mass.

This year, the school had an enrollment of 173 students from pre-K through sixth grade. Karen Snyder, principal, said that enrollment has consistently been up in recent times.

Family spirit

Mrs. Snyder credits the enrollment increases to the school's "family-oriented" spirit, small classes and attention to the individual student.

"We are a family-based school that is very Christ-centered," she explained. "We want the very best education and faith formation for our students, and we work very hard to see that this is accomplished. We work to see that Catholic values transcend all areas of their lives through schoolwork, projects and school activities."

She added that "we've just completed a five-year self-evaluation plan that, under diocesan direction, has helped us to develop and implement a strategic plan defining our goals for the future."

Accreditation

Part of that process includes going through an accreditation process next year with the Middle States Association for Accreditation of Schools, based in Pennsylvania.

According to Thomas Fitzgerald, assistant superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Albany Diocese, OLV was one of the first grade schools to do a strategic plan. As a result, it was chosen by the diocesan office to pilot the accreditation program in the Diocese.

The process entails visitations from representative Catholic teachers and administrators, who will evaluate the curriculum and Catholic identity.

Many programs

The evaluators will find such programs as Parents as Reading Partners, the library club and computer technology lab, all of which enhance the education process at the school.

"There is a need to continually grow and change," Mrs. Snyder said. "We want our students to do that, but it is also necessary and important for our teachers and staff to do the same.

"We all have a deep commitment to quality education and faith formation. We are always looking at 'Where do we want to go and how do we get there'?"

Pastor impressed

Rev. Randall Patterson, pastor of OLV parish, told The Evangelist that he has been "very impressed" with the high level of education and faith formation at the school.

"Kids have to have good experiences at school. I am so impressed with the quality of education that we have here," he said. "Each child is treated as an individual. Academically, our kids do very well. For example, two years ago, four of our sixth grade students received scholarships for area Catholic schools."

He noted that each year the students meet and exceed state and national criteria for excellence.

"At OLV, we all have one focus, one goal," Father Patterson said, "and that is the child."

(This year, the student body formed a School Spirit committee and named the American Bald Eagle as their mascot. The school motto is "At OLV, everyone is a VIP.")

(6/12/03) [[In-content Ad]]