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Members of the first
graduating class
pose for a photo on the school's 60th Anniversary.
(click photo to enlarge) |
The dream of a St. Boniface Martyr School
began in 1899, when the original church was built. Father James Donohoe, the
first pastor, expressed a strong desire to see a parochial school for the
children of parish families. The idea stayed alive in the 1920’s, when Father
Louis Sloane, the pastor at the time, began to set aside money each year to be
used in building the school.
His successor, Father Patrick Ford, went a
step further by organizing a fund drive to raise $50,000 of the $250,000 needed
for the schools’ construction. The support given by the parishioners was such
that the money was donated or pledged within only a few weeks. Combined with the
funds set aside by Father Sloane, that money was sufficient to buy the Amrhein
Farm on which the school was to be built, and to hire Architect James O’Connor
to design the structure.
In November, 1927, ground was broken and
Frank A. Droesch, Inc., a construction firm from Queens, began working on the
building. The work was completed in time for the school to open its doors in
September, 1928. On June 23, 1928, the Sisters of Mercy from Dallas,
Pennsylvania arrived and began registering children for entry into grades 1
through 6. Another grade was to be added each year until all 8 grades were
included.
The new school opened on September 10, 1928,
with an initial registration of 150 students. The building contained 10
classrooms, 2 indoor playgrounds, lunchrooms, a kitchen, restrooms, offices, a
clinic, storerooms, and a large auditorium. Bishop Thomas F. Malloy of the
Diocese of Brooklyn formally dedicated the school on September 16, 1928, at a
ceremony attended by more than 1000 people.
In June 1931, the first 8th grade class (14
students) graduated, leading the way for the 59 graduating classes that followed
it into the world.
Over the subsequent decades, enrollment at
St. Boniface grew (to nearly 600 students, at one point) and the building was
expanded to accommodate the students. In 1962, a library and gymnasium were
added and 8 new classrooms were opened. In 1963, student services were expanded
to include a 5-day hot lunch program staffed by volunteers from the Mothers’
Club (later the Home School Association).
For 36 years, St. Boniface provided its
students with a free education but, in 1964, economic factors forced the
introduction of a modest family tuition schedule. The school continued to
change. In 1969, a playground was built on school property with the help of many
community volunteers. In 1976, nursery and Pre-K programs were begun, and, in
1977, the first kindergarten class started. By that time, lay teachers had
replaced most of the Sisters of Mercy.
In the fall of 1989 enrollment was
approximately 220 students, a number that allowed for smaller classes and an
excellent student-teacher ratio. From its earliest days, St. Boniface Martyr
School served as a superb example of academic excellence in Catholic education.
The environment encouraged each student to realize his or her potential for
achievement. Spiritual growth and development of the students remained a primary
concern, with secular needs being addressed. The Early Childhood Program that
was inaugurated in 1976 with 18 students, had, in 1989, over 90 students in its
Pre-K and Nursery Programs. Also, an innovative After School Program was
instituted to allow students to remain on the school grounds until 6 p.m. each
day, if necessary. Other after school programs included soccer, basketball and
track clinics.
In its 62 years of existence, St. Boniface
Martyr School graduated over 2,000 pupils.
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All
Saint’s Regional Catholic School
www.asrcatholic.com
Beginning in September of 1990, St.
Boniface, along with the parish schools of St. Patrick’s and St. Rocco’s in
Glen Cove, St. Hyacinth’s in Glen Head, and St. Mary’s in Roslyn was
regionalized by Bishop McGann into All Saint’s Regional Catholic School (ASR).
Under diocesan direction and the leadership of principal Sister Helen Dolan, S.S.N.D., the school began on two campuses with a nursery through third grade at
the Lower Campus (St. Hyacinth’s) and grades four through eight on the Upper
Campus (St. Patrick’s).
In 1995, Sister Maureen Vellon, R.S.H.M. was
appointed as principal of ASR. At present, 40 of the approximately 400 students
are St. Boniface parishioners, and the school continues to flourish. In the fall
of 1999, all grades over pre-K were located on St. Patrick’s parish property, allowing
for total technological integration of all classrooms, leading the school into
the 21st Century.
The school is supported by each of the five
parishes and the school board is comprised of each parish’s pastor and two
representatives appointed by that pastor. St. Boniface is represented by
parishioners Sighle Lynch and Peter DeBuona.
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