Doane Stuart School

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
Location
Rensselaer
,
New York

United States
Information
TypeIndependent school, private school,
co-educational
Religious affiliation(s)Interfaith
Established1852 (as Kenwood Academy)
GradesPrekindergarten through grade 12
Campus24 acres (97,000 m2)
WebsiteDoaneStuart.org
The Doane Stuart School (formerly Van Rensselaer High School)
Location199 Washington Ave., Rensselaer, New York
Coordinates42°39′32″N 73°43′37″W
Area24.53 acres (9.93 ha)
Built1930 (1930)-1931, 1938-1939
ArchitectGardinier, Clarence H.; Fullerton, Howard O.
Architectural styleArt Deco
NRHP reference No.12000511[1]
Added to NRHPAugust 14, 2012

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.[4] The first location chosen for Doane Stuart was the campus of the old Kenwood Academy in Albany, New York.[5] Doane Stuart was established as an ecumenical Christian school,[5] but later became an interfaith school.[6] The school is co-educational and college preparatory, and educates students from nursery school through grade 12;[7] during the 2013-2014 academic year, it enrolled 316 students.[6]

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.[8]

On May 20, 2008, Rensselaer, New York voters approved the proposed sale of the former Van Rensselaer High School to Doane Stuart.[9] After a year-long renovation and restoration effort, Doane Stuart students began classes on September 16, 2009 at the School's new home.[10] 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.[11]

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.[12]

References
  1. "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. 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. Bandhold, James V. Franco and Stacy. "Doane Stuart finds new home in Rensselaer". The Record.
  5. Waldman, Scott (September 17, 2009). "Doane Stuart moves across Hudson River". Times Union. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  6. https://www.bizjournals.com/albany/morning_call/2014/06/doane-stuart-welcomes-new-head-of-school-for-2014.html
  7. "Enrichment Resources: After School Options". 7 August 2018.
  8. "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.)
  9. "School election results". Troy Record. May 22, 2008. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  10. http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2009/09/21/story4.html
  11. Grondahl, Paul (April 21, 2016). "'Green Roof' at Doane Stuart School is growing attraction". Times Union. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  12. Grondahl, Paul (October 1, 2014). "From Belfast to Rensselaer, a lesson on tolerance". Times Union. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
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