In an exciting decision for all Kerries, Father Scott VanDerveer, the pastor of St. Mary's Church, has announced that SMSA will once again be known by its historic name: St. Mary's Academy! As pastor, Father Scott oversees the school, which is a parish ministry.
In letters to faculty, staff, parents, and parishioners in August, Father Scott said that because the school is no longer operating under a 'regional' model and because the merger with St. Alphonsus School was successfully completed more than 30 years ago, the time is right to make the change.
"The name St. Mary's Academy makes it easier to tell people who we are," Father Scott said. "It connects us to the thousands of alumni who span our 141-year history. It expresses our commitment to academic excellence and moral virtue, and it acknowledges the primacy of commitment from St. Mary's Parish to our school's future."
To show the school's commitment to honoring St. Alphonsus Church and School, both of which were located on the west side of the city and are now closed, St. Mary's will rename its third-floor chapel the St. Alphonsus Chapel, Father said. A dedication of the chapel will take place later this fall.
The school also unveiled a new logo designed by Lisa Lehman of Lehman Creative in Queensbury. The logo features a drawing of the tower of the St. Mary's Academy building, which was designed by Ralph Adams Cram during the Great Depression in the neo-Gothic style.
The school's legal name will remain St. Mary's - St. Alphonsus School, Father said, but in all other instances, will become St. Mary's Academy.
The name change will also, he said, help "reestablish St. Mary's as the premier choice for a private religious education for our region," he said.
St. Mary's Academy offers a K-8 program as well as a popular Noah's Ark pre-school for 3- year-olds and a preK for 4-, and 5-year-olds. St. Mary's students come from all over the Warren, Washington, and Saratoga areas.
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