Doane Stuart School

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Doane Stuart School
Image:Doane_Stuart_Tower.jpg
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Established 1975
School type Independent, co-ed
Religious affiliation Roman Catholic / Episcopal
Headmaster Richard D. Enemark
Location Albany, New York, USA
Campus 80 acres
Enrollment 270 students (pre-K - 12)
Faculty 40 teachers
Average class size 14 students
Student:teacher
ratio		 7:1
Athletics 7 interscholastic sports teams
Mascot Thunder Chicken
Homepage www.doanestuart.org

The Doane Stuart School is an independent, coeducational school in Albany, New York. The School features a low student to teacher ratio and a rigorous college preparatory curriculum. The school also has an emphasis on community service and on interfaith tolerance. The school is a member of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools.

Contents

[edit] History

The Doane Stuart School was created in 1975 as a merger between the Roman Catholic Kenwood Academy (founded by the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1852) and the Episcopal St. Agnes School (founded 1870). This unique merger is the first and only known merger of a Roman Catholic school and an Episcopal school in the United States.

The School was established on the grounds of the former Kenwood Academy. The name Doane Stuart was chosen to honor the First Episcopal Bishop of Albany, The Right Reverend William Croswell Doane, and the Roman Catholic educator, Janet Erskine Stuart, RSCJ. Doane Stuart was established as a co-educational school, the only independent co-ed school in Albany.

The school initially included both boarding and day students. In 1995, the school discontinued the boarding program.

In August 2006, The Albany Academy, Albany Academy for Girls, and Doane Stuart School announced their intent to merge into a single institution. The new institution would occupy The Academies' campus on Academy Road, continue single-gender education (a change for Doane Stuart students), and be led by current Doane Stuart Head of School Richard Enemark (Caroline Mason, the current head of both Academies, previously announced her intention of stepping down after the 2006-2007 school year). After parent protest, Doane Stuart withdrew from the proposed merger in September 2006, announcing its decision to remain a separate institution.

[edit] School Mission

Doane Stuart School's Mission Statement: "The mission of Doane Stuart is education. In a college preparatory context, where the joy of discovery is valued, Doane Stuart emphasizes serious study, educates to social responsibility, and lays the foundation for a strong faith."[1]

The school is founded on the principles of ecumenism, co-education, and community service. The school accepts students of all faiths and includes a non-doctrinal religious curriculum in which students can explore their own faith and the faiths of others. Doane Stuart students are very active in the community, completing more than 5,000 hours annually of volunteer community service in the Albany area. The school also emphasizes academic excellence and integrity. The Upper School has a rigorous college preparatory curriculum and virtually all of its graduates have continued their education at some of the nation's most highly selective colleges and universities.

[edit] Student Body

Doane Stuart’s Upper School has 110 students, while the Lower and Middle Schools combined have 160 students, split nearly 50:50 between boys and girls. Approximately 10 percent of the School’s students are from minority communities, and another 2–5 percent each year are exchange students from international programs, including the School’s unique exchange with Lagan College in Belfast, or other Sacred Heart schools in America. Doane Stuart students are primarily from the eight counties surrounding Albany, from as far south as the Berkshires to as far north as Saratoga Springs. Campus safety and behavior policies are provided to students each year via School handbooks for each division.

[edit] School Programs and Sports

The Doane Stuart School campus includes a full court gym and two athletic fields. Upper School intermural sports include fencing, soccer, basketball and softball. Required physical education classes take advantage of the School's rural campus to include such activities as cross-country skiing in addition to traditional gym activities.

The school's campus is home to a local Buddhist congregation. The School hosts an Irish American Exchange program, begun in 2003, which brings together Protestant and Catholic students from Northern Ireland to spend a year at Doane Stuart and live with local families.

[edit] Community Service

Students are encouraged to perform acts of community service, and are taught early on that this is a worthwhile activity. Starting in Middle School, the school organizes community service events for the students. Fifth and Sixth graders help out around campus, and Seventh and Eight graders are brought to local organizations such as the Ronald McDonald House. In the Upper School, all students are required to complete 25 hours of community service each school year.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ The Doane Stuart School - Mission and History: http://www.doanestuart.org/mission.asp

[edit] External links

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