A journey comes to an end

This week, the eighth graders of St. William the Abbot School will graduate from a place many have called home for quite some time, and will begin a new chapter of their lives in high school.

St. William is a small Catholic school located in Seaford on Jackson Avenue. This school is open to children in nursery school through eighth grade.

This year, 46 students will graduate. “They are a creative, hard-working class that is driven to succeed,” said Lauren Gibbons, an eighth-grade homeroom teacher. “I know that they will have a promising future.”

Tight knit-community

Many students believe that the close and tight-knit community helped enhance their academic experience. Eighth grader Michael Distler said, “It helps with the smaller classes because you get a better relationship with your teachers.”

Classmate Megan Iovino shared a similar sentiment about her time at St. William. She says that the smaller class sizes allowed the teachers to learn the strengths and weaknesses of each student. “Teachers can teach you to the way that you need to be taught,” Iovino says, “such as individual learners and group learners.”

Not only did the tight-knit community support a strong academic learning environment, but Distler said it created a healthy social environment. “You have a relationship with not only all the kids in your grade,” he said, “but also with some of the kids in the grades below you.”

Eighth grader Mary Kate Kiley said she felt like part of a big family. “In the public school, they have the bigger classes,” Kiley said. “Here when I walk down the hall, I know everyone, and everyone knows me. I feel like it is a bigger extension of my family.”

Kiley also said she believes that the tight-knit community at St. William has helped her grow socially and build a strong personality. Prior to starting kindergarten there, Kiley had bounced around between different pre-schools and struggled to make friends. “When I came here, I made friends instantly and everyone here is so welcoming and inviting,” she said.