A GROWING SENSE OF COMMUNITY

Catholic Schools are in demand more than ever.

Several schools across the Diocese of Albany have seen an increase in interest and a rise in enrollment since publicly releasing their plans for the upcoming school year.

“These are stressful times for our families and for our schools. But we take comfort in knowing that our Catholic schools lend themselves to the strategies and safeguards needed to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” said Giovanni Virgiglio, superintendent of diocesan schools. “Each of our 21 schools have submitted building-specific reopening plans to the state and we invite parents to review those plans and to attend upcoming information meetings to learn more.”

The Catholic School Office confirmed reports that 20 students enrolled at Holy Spirit School in East Greenbush the day after the school district announced its plans for the school year, and All Saints Academy in Albany (K-8) has a waiting list for certain grades. Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School in Schenectady has “seen an increase in interest in our middle school program especially in grades six and eight,” said Principal Kiante Jones.  Currently there are 28 students in Grade 6 and 24 students in Grade 8, Jones added. Last year alone, there were just 15 students in Grade 6.

This is needed positive news as the pandemic has forced many Catholic schools to close across the country. A recent letter from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to the Congressional Black Caucus said more than 130 schools in Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston, New Jersey and New York have closed, disproportionately affecting low-income and minority children. 

Joe Kilmade, the new principal at Saratoga Central Catholic School (6-12), said he believes the interest boils down to two things.

“We benefit from what has always been our strength: smaller class size and a tight-knit community,” Kilmade said. “Two weeks ago, I made an announcement to school families stating our intention to open with in-person instruction and the response was positive.”

Since then, SCC has enrolled 10 new students, pushing the total of students across all grades to 190, or nearly a six percent increase. During the pandemic, bigger public schools will always have difficulty with class size and maintaining separation as well as busing issues.

SCC will offer remote learning and a hybrid version as well, but parents seem to be attracted to the in-person model the most. With smaller class sizes and the ability to spread out their students, the advantages of Catholic schools become obvious. At SCC, every five weeks, there will be a progress report where students can change their learning model - remote to in-person, in-person to remote - to suit their comfort level. In the first week, there will be a grace period where students can opt from in-person to remote if necessary.

“(Catholic schools become) more attractive when people want in-person learning,” Kilmade said, “and we can show them how good we are, so when this thing goes away, they don’t jump back to public schools, they stay.”

Sister Debbie Timmis, principal at Mater Christi School in Albany (pre-K-8) , has a waiting list for the kindergarten class - there are already 20 students enrolled - and some openings in the other grades. Although the school will offer a remote option for all grades, in-person learning is again driving the interest. At Mater Christi, each grade will remain in one class room and be broken down into “pods” of four students; essentially four desks separated by a plastic barrier on all sides. The average class size is 16.5 students.

Students can take off their masks while sitting in the pod, but masks must remain on at all other times. Sister Debbie added the school will limit the movement of the students with the teachers rotating around.

“I think that the side effects of this whole pandemic has given people a little chance to reflect about things,” Sister Debbie said. “Parents are being confronted with choices now. It is not because public schools are not doing a good job but there is the realization that they don't have unlimited funds … Catholic Schools are used to that, not having the funds (and succeeding).”

A recent virtual fundraiser at Mater Christi was able to alleviate some of the financial burden parents are feeling during the pandemic. Spearheaded by Father Kenneth Doyle, the “Off to the Races” fundraiser, which started on Aug. 1, the day of the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, has brought in nearly $36,000 for the school. Sister Debbie was quick to praise the amazing generosity of the parishioners, as the ongoing fundraiser has gone 142 percent over its original goal of $25,000.

It also can’t be understated that when the pandemic sent students to remote learning in March, Catholic schools, which had been planning for that eventuality, did not miss a beat as public schools stumbled on how best to make the transition. Across the area, students moved seamlessly from in-person learning to full-time remote learning.

“We were able to go fully remote with the schedules as they were within 48 hours,” Sister Debbie said. “We haven’t seen a big loss in what the students have learned.”

She added students have continued their learning this summer on i-ready, an online program geared toward reading and math proficiency, but in the end it all comes down to the feeling of “community.”

“We give (students and parents) a chance to be a part of a smaller community that is centered on spirituality and making the world a better place. I think that community is our real strength right now.”