Doane Stuart School

The Doane Stuart School
Location
Rensselaer, New York
United States
Information
Type Independent school, private school, co-ed
Religious affiliation(s) Interfaith
Established 1852 (as Kenwood Academy)
Head of school Pamela Clarke
Grades Prekindergarten through grade 12
Campus 24 acres (97,000 m2)
Website

DoaneStuart.org

The Doane Stuart School (formerly Van Rensselaer High School)
Location 199 Washington Ave., Rensselaer, New York
Coordinates 42°39′32″N 73°43′37″W / 42.65889°N 73.72694°W / 42.65889; -73.72694Coordinates: 42°39′32″N 73°43′37″W / 42.65889°N 73.72694°W / 42.65889; -73.72694
Area 24.53 acres (9.93 ha)
Built 1930 (1930)-1931, 1938-1939
Architect Gardinier, Clarence H.; Fullerton, Howard O.
Architectural style Art Deco
NRHP reference # 12000511[1]
Added to NRHP August 14, 2012

The Doane Stuart School is a private college preparatory school in Rensselaer, New York. The School is coeducational and interfaith, and it educates students from nursery school through grade 12. The Doane Stuart School is a member of the National Association of Episcopal Schools and the National Association of Independent Schools.

History

The Doane Stuart School ("Doane Stuart") was founded in 1975 as the result of 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).[2][3] This unique merger is the only known merger of a Roman Catholic school and an Episcopal school in the United States.[2] The name "Doane Stuart" was chosen to honor the first Episcopal Bishop of Albany, the Right Reverend William Croswell Doane, and Roman Catholic educator Janet Erskine Stuart, RSCJ. Doane Stuart was established as an ecumenical Christian school,[4] but later became an interfaith school.[5] The school is co-educational and college preparatory, and educates students from nursery school through grade 12;[6] during the 2013-2014 academic year, it enrolled 316 students.[7]

The location chosen for Doane Stuart was the campus of the old Kenwood Academy in Albany, New York.[8] The Convent of the Sacred Heart leased space to the school while retaining a retirement home for its sisters on the site. Initially, the school included boarding for girls as well an English as a Second Language program for foreign students. In the early 1990s, the boarding and ESL programs were ended.

In March 2008, the Board of Trustees of Doane Stuart announced it had decided to end its affiliation with the Network of Sacred Heart Schools. At about the same time, the Convent of the Sacred Heart notified the school it would not renew its lease.[9]

In April 2008, the Board of Directors sent a letter to school supporters stating that an offer it made to purchase the former Van Rensselaer High School in Rensselaer, New York had been accepted. On Tuesday, May 20, 2008, Rensselaer voters approved, by a vote of 463 to 74, the proposed sale of the Van Rensselaer building to Doane Stuart.[10] After a year-long renovation and restoration effort, students began classes on September 16, 2009 at the School's new home.[11] The School's current building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.[1] As of April 2016, the School's 22,000 square foot "green roof" was reportedly the largest vegetative roof in the Capital District.[12]

The Irish/American Exchange Program

The School hosts an Irish American Exchange program, begun in 2003, which brings together Protestant and Catholic students from Lagan College (a secondary school in Belfast, Northern Ireland) to spend a year at Doane Stuart and live with local families. These students attend classes and become an integral part of the community. According to the Albany Times Union, 22 exchange students from Lagan College have spent a school year studying at Doane Stuart, while approximately 100 Doane Stuart students have made one-week visits to Lagan College.[13] Doane Stuart students visiting Lagan College attend seminar courses in Irish History, Northern Ireland Politics, and Irish Language. These students get a glimpse of Belfast life while staying with host families from Lagan College. They have met with members of the US Embassy, Stormont (the Northern Ireland Parliament), City Officials, and key players in the peace process. Additionally, student-teachers from the Protestant Stranmillis University College and the Catholic Saint Mary's University College visit Doane Stuart as part of their teacher training.

In the news

It's not often that Art Deco designs are highlighted in the hallways with school lockers or that a school official's office has a Tiffany grandfather clock from the turn of the 20th century. But, then again, The Doane Stuart School is not a typical educational institution.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 8/13/12 through 8/17/12. National Park Service. 2012-08-24.
  2. 1 2 Heart magazine, December 2008, p. 14, found at [www.rscj.org/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_download/gid,285/Itemid,9/ - RSCJ website] (pdf document). Retrieved January 6, 2009.
  3. ↑ Waldman, Scott (September 18, 2012). "Abrupt exit at Doane Stuart". Times Union. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  4. ↑ Waldman, Scott (September 17, 2009). "Doane Stuart moves across Hudson River". Times Union. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  5. ↑ https://www.bizjournals.com/albany/morning_call/2014/06/doane-stuart-welcomes-new-head-of-school-for-2014.html
  6. ↑ https://www.spotlightnews.com/capital-district-parent-pages/2018/08/07/enrichment-resources-after-school-options/
  7. ↑ https://www.bizjournals.com/albany/morning_call/2014/06/doane-stuart-welcomes-new-head-of-school-for-2014.html
  8. ↑ Waldman, Scott (September 17, 2009). "Doane Stuart moves across Hudson River". Times Union. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  9. ↑ "School ends religious affiliation," The Albany Times Union Sunday, March 16, 2008. (This article reports that The Doane Stuart School's Board of Trustees voted to end the school's affiliation with The Society of the Sacred Heart and the Network of Sacred Heart Schools.)
  10. ↑ "School election results". Troy Record. May 22, 2008. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  11. ↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2009/09/21/story4.html
  12. ↑ Grondahl, Paul (April 21, 2016). "'Green Roof' at Doane Stuart School is growing attraction". Times Union. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  13. ↑ Grondahl, Paul (October 1, 2014). "From Belfast to Rensselaer, a lesson on tolerance". Times Union. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
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