62.0°,
Mostly Cloudy Sixty years of education in Seaford
St. William marks milestone with open house
Dozens of students, alumni and prospective students were on hand to kick off National Catholic Schools Week at an open house at St. William the Abbot School on Jan. 25.
The week is an annual celebration week with masses, open houses and other activities for students, families, parishioners and community members. St. William the Abbot, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary, educates children from nursery school through grade eight. There are 537 students enrolled at the school, which is on Jackson Avenue in Seaford.
“This is a magical place,” said Michele Accurso, of Wantagh. “It’s a beautiful community, and so loving.” Her daughter, Chloe, a sixth-grader at St. William, was one of the students on hand to answer questions and provide insight to prospective students about her school.
“The teachers are very nice, and we have a lot of fun activities,” Chloe said. “I think this is the best school.”
Eighth-graders Olivia Lettieri, Ava Azueta and Meghan Monahan, all members of the National Junior Honor Society, agreed. “We can be ourselves,” Lettieri said.
“There’s no judging,” Azueta added.
“And we’re all family,” Monahan said.
Indeed. Some Seaford families have sent several generations of children to St. William.
“I attended St. William, as did my four siblings, my eight children and now my three grandchildren,” Gail Tomczyk said. Her grandson, Kellan, will be joining his family at St. William this fall, when he begins nursery school.
Erika Close, who graduated from the school in 1991, has three children, Emily, Ava and Logan, now attending it. Linda Montalbano, a 1993 graduate, has two children there now.
“It’s a close-knit community, a place you want to be,” Close said.
Laura Caddick Wade, who graduated in 1999 and now lives in Amityville, plans to send her daughter, Avery, to St. William this fall because her experience had been “so positive. I still have friends in this community.”
“Everyone here knows your name,” Wilbur Erb said. Erb moved to Seaford in 1956 and sent his four children to St. William. He was living in Ozone Park, Queens, when he heard that the Ursuline Sisters would be teaching at St. William. “I followed the Good Sisters out here,” Erb said. “They have very good faculty, and the principals are wonderful.”
St. William’s celebratory week included classroom activities that celebrated faith, knowledge and service. On Jan. 26, students participated in the Pennies for Patients program. Money they collected was donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for cancer research. Wednesday was Student Appreciation Day as well as Crazy Sock Day. Students were asked to donate a new pair of socks for Parish Outreach, and in exchange were permitted to wear “crazy socks.”
Last Thursday was “Souper Bowl Day.” Students brought in cans of soup, again to assist Parish Outreach, and wore their favorite sports jersey to school. The Catholic Schools Week celebration ended on Friday with a special guest, Police Officer Steven McDonald, who spoke to students about faith and forgiveness. It was also Teacher Appreciation Day. A spelling bee, originally scheduled for Jan. 27, was canceled because of the snowstorm. That event will be held Feb. 5.
“The connections you make at St. William’s stay with you,” said Anna Guardino, who was the school’s principal from 1988 to 2010. Sister Joanne Callahan, who shepherded the school from 1983 to 1988 and is now the superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, was also on hand for the 60th anniversary celebration.
Current Principal Margaret Grimaldi smiled. “We are carrying on a tradition here,” she said. “We are a warm and friendly place, dedicated to our students.”
