Valley Stream Catholic school sees growth

Enrollment at Holy Name of Mary School grew by about 60 students this year, largely because of the closing of another Valley Stream Catholic school, Blessed Sacrament.

The school year opened at Holy Name with about 350 students in nursery school through eighth grade, up from 290 students at the close of last year, according to Denise Kassebaum, the school’s enrollment coordinator. In kindergarten through eighth grade, there are about 280 students and class sizes average 28 students.

The biggest growth is in the upper grades. This year’s eighth grade has 36 students, up from 26 in last year’s seventh-grade class. In the current seventh grade, the only level to have two classes, there are 56 students, up from 43 in sixth-grade last year. And fifth grade is up to 25 students, a gain of nine children from last year’s fourth-grade class. “I would say a majority of it is definitely Blessed Sacrament,” Kassebaum said.

Eighth-grader Nia Sawney is one of those students who came over from Blessed Sacrament for her last year of Catholic elementary school. Sawney said that she was joined by about a half-dozen classmates from there, so she wasn’t alone as the new kid.

“I really feel welcome,” Sawney said, noting that Holy Name of Mary School is a very “upbeat” place. Sawney added that although she enjoys her new surroundings, she is looking forward to graduation and moving on to high school.

Ryan Plackis is in seventh grade at Holy Name of Mary after moving over from Blessed Sacrament School. He said he already knew a lot of his classmates at Holy Name through the scouts. Also, students like Plackis who were planning to move from Blessed Sacrament to Holy Name for this school year, were invited to a dance last spring to get to meet their new classmates.

Plackis said he likes the classes at Holy Name of Mary and said the teachers are very happy. Eighth-grader Genesis Rivera, who also came from Blessed Sacrament, agreed. “The people here are really nice,” she said, adding that the teachers do a thorough job.

Rivera said she is particularly excited to join the school’s drama club and she hopes to land a role in this year’s production of “A Christmas Carol.”

Not all of the new students came over from the school across town. Klarke Sconiers, a fifth-grader, transferred from St. Clare in Rosedale. She said her mother was looking around at others schools and found a place she liked in Holy Name. “She said she had a really good vibe,” Sconiers said.

So far, so good, Sconiers says, noting that she has made many new friends and is learning a lot. “I like that they offer many programs,” she said. “I’m really into science so I like that they have science fairs. And the teachers are super nice.”

Hannah Han, a fourth-grader from South Korean, is spending the year at the school. After her cousin and friend came to Holy Name last year, Han also wanted a year’s experience of education in the United States.

She said she is learning English very quickly at the school and is excited about spending the year as an international student. “The teachers are really funny and the classes are really fun,” she said.

The school also has a new volunteer in its library. Nicole Reksono had previously volunteered at Blessed Sacrament School, mostly with the nursery school program. At Holy Name of Mary, she is spending her time in the library.

Her responsibilities include updating the computer catalog, checking out books, reading to the children and teaching them how to use a library.

After Blessed Sacrament School closed, she was looking for a new school for her son, now a fifth-grader. She got a very warm feeling at Holy Name of Mary, particularly from Principal Richard McMahon. Reksono noted that he sets the bar high, which will help her son reach his goal of getting into a high-achieving parochial high school. “He really has taken the school to the next level,” she said of McMahon.

Reksono decided to join her son at the school and spends parts of each weekday volunteering there. With a love of reading and writing, she said she enjoys her time working with the children in the library.

Kassebaum said Holy Name of Mary is doing well. Many areas Catholic schools, including nearby Blessed Sacrament, have closed in the past few years and Holy Name is bucking the trend, she explained. Enrollment has been steady or increasing for the better part of a decade, and this year was the largest influx of new students.

The school even had to turn away some students, especially in pre-kindergarten which is full at 50 students. However, Kassebaum said there is room in the building to add more classes in the future if the demand keeps up.

This year’s opening went very smooth Kassebaum said and the old students were very welcoming to this year’s new students. “The kids are happy,” she said. “The parents are happy. That’s really our main goal.”