Option 2: St. Joseph
St. Joseph School is located at 236 Wall St. in uptown Kingston.
Principal Jeanne Dolamore is excited about the future as she prepares to welcome children from St. Mary to the school’s community of 205 students.
“It’s very hard for St. Mary’s,” Dolamore said. “We honor their principal Ms. Molinelli. Her school has provided a wonderful environment for their students.”
St. Mary families interested in St. Joseph School can have their children participate in shadow days and Tuesday tours throughout May, Dolamore said.
“We’re welcoming them into the school, but also honoring their uniqueness and gifts they will bring to any educational community they come to,” Dolamore said.
St Joseph School strives for excellence in academics in an environment guided by faith, Dolamore said. “We’re very much guided by love and guided by service,” Dolamore said.
“We really embrace diversity. We’re welcoming families of all faiths to St. Joseph School.”
Like Albert, Dolamore believes parents need not worry about crime around St. Joseph’s neighborhood in uptown Kingston, and said all visitors must sign in before entering.
“We embrace the community,” Dolamore said. “It’s an historical center and business center, and we consider uptown Kingston to be an extended classroom.”
Dolamore is proud of all the volunteer work students at St. Joseph do in the community, including volunteering at local churches, painting windows at local stores and planting a peace garden.
Dolamore also takes pride in the school’s emphasis on liberal arts classes and the arts. Music offerings include guitar, orchestra, band, and soon, harp, Dolamore said.
These classes motivate kids to come to school, Dolamore said. “We can’t diminish the arts because of finances, because of our focus on academics and testing. Academics must be strong as well as arts and humanities. They are vital to the child’s holistic education.”
A fine arts building is on the school’s wish list, Dolamore said.
Technology also plays an important role at St. Joseph’s, said Dolamore. She emphasized technology that includes smartboards in every room, state-of-the-art technology labs and an iPad initiative for middle schools beginning next year.
Next year earth science is being added to the advanced algebra offering available for eighth graders, Dolamore said.
Another St Joseph tradition is having a different theme for each year. This year’s theme is a Kindness KITE. The K stands for kindness, the I stands for imagination, the T for teamwork and the E for engagement, Dolamore said.
St Mary’s students will also face larger classes of up to 28 students at St. Joseph’s. One of the ways the school is dealing with larger classes is a “teacher fellow” program, Dolamore said. “Any larger class will have both a teacher and teacher fellow,” Dolamore said. “Teacher fellows are fully certified teachers who come along to help with tasks like academic intervention.”
Parents interested in learning more about St. Joseph’s should visit saintjosephschoolkingston.com. If parents would like to set up a tour or shadow day they should call (845) 339-4390.
Dolamore recommends parents make their decision by the end of May to allow the school to plan for enrollment and allow the teachers to use June for planning.
Parent perspective
While the Archdiocese, Kingston Catholic and St. Joseph have their plans set in stone, some Saint Mary of the Snow parents are still unsure where they will send their children to school next year. Saugerties Town Supervisor Kelly Myers is one of them.
She said she was heartbroken when the Diocese made the decision to close the school.
“It’s unfortunate they had to make this decision,” Myers said. “St. Mary of the Snow is the only Catholic school from Kingston To Albany.” Myers emphasized the school served a wide area including Catskill, West Saugerties, Woodstock and even Dutchess County students.
At the same time, she believes closing the school was a tough decision the Archdiocese needed to make because of financial reasons. She cited the $500,000 yearly subsidy the school received.
Myers is weighing her options of sending her daughter to one of the Catholic schools in Kingston or keeping her daughter in Saugerties at Cahill Elementary School.
Myers said she will miss the close-knit environment and the dedication of parents and teachers at the small Catholic school. “The teachers at St. Mary’s are tremendous,” Myers said. “I feel bad for them. They lost their job through no fault of their own.
“It’s been a very loving environment,” she said. “Kids invite each other to birthday parties. Moms and dads volunteer for lunch monitor duties… it makes a difference when families are that dedicated to a school to chip in.”
Cahill Elementary School is close to Myers’s home and that proximity is weighing in on her decision. “Parents are very involved at Cahill,” Myers said. “It’s a beautiful facility. It’s had nice renovations and they’re right here in the village.”
Myers estimates that 60 other families have chosen to send their kids to public schools.
While Myers believes both Catholic schools in Kingston are great schools, the 30-minute-plus bus ride each way gives her pause. She is also concerned about the lack of late buses at the Kingston schools, forcing parents to pick up their kids if they stay after school.
“It’s kind of a tough decision to accept, but we have to move forward,” Myers said. “My daughter is going to have some input. We want her to happy with the choice.”
Myers, who is also parish coordinator of religious education at St. Mary of the Snow Church, believes the opportunity for religious education still exists at the church for families who choose to send their kids to public schools.
The religious education program serves approximately 140 children during the school year during 30 one-and-a-half-hour sessions, Myers said. The sessions begin the second Wednesday in September and continue throughout the school year.
Weekend sessions are also held for junior high children seeking confirmation. Parents interested in religious education should call Myers at (845) 247-9664.
While Myers is upset about the closing, she remains optimistic about the future. “St. Mary’s is losing a school, but we’re a very strong parish, and we’ll continue to be a strong parish,” Myers said. “We have over 800 families. We’ll get through it. We always pull together.”
Victor Manoli, who lives in Greene County and drives his daughter 27.5 miles each way to St. Mary, is also unsure where he’ll send his daughter to school next year. The two Catholic schools in Kingston are not presently in his plans, as his family is concerned about crime in the area. The Manolis are considering other options for their daughter, including home-schooling or sending her to a local school, an option that does not please Manoli.
Manoli harbors mixed feelings about the decision to keep both Kingston schools open while closing St. Mary. Despite his reservations about the situation, he called the plan to keep both Catholic schools in Kingston open the right move.
Manoli is still not happy with the decision to close St. Mary. “This does not help out the parents of St. Mary of the Snow School and their children,” Manoli said. “So to keep both of them open and still close St. Mary’s is a big mistake on their part.”
“There is no Catholic school for many of the children to go to,” Manoli said. “Most of the parents that I have talked to are now sending their children to a public school.”
Manoli strongly believes this decision will alienate people from the Catholic Church.
“I’m not sure how it will affect my daughter in the future, but right now I still feel like the church let us down,” Manoli said.
If parents have further questions about their options in Kingston or concerns about the closing, Archdiocese of New York spokesperson Fran Davies suggests contacting Patty Ryan, placement counselor, at (845) 554-5585, Mrs. Jill Albert, principal, Kingston Catholic School at (845) 331-9318 or Mrs. Jeanne Dolamore, principal, St. Joseph School at (845) 339-4390.
