Academy of the Holy Names - JM Yearbook (Albany, NY)

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The land was actually intended to be the site of a novitiate, but when the Bishop advised the Sisters to build aschool, they readily consented. There was much excitement at the old academy when the an- nouncement was made that a new school would be built. The present seniors were then freshmen. At the time, it was thought that they would be juniors when the high school moved to New Scotland Road, but inclement weather and shortage ofmaterials added a year to the original estimate. An architect's model of the proposed building was put on display in the corner of the high school hall and became a favorite gathering place for the girls at recess. Much speculation' was made as to what A.H.N. would be like in its new surroundings. The school actually opened its doors for classes in September, 1957 and on October 6, it was formally dedicated in an impressive ceremony. lFor story see page 18.1 JM Picture Story The ninety acres of property on which the lovely new school is built has an interesting history. Sister Mary Esterwin, the Superior of the Academy at 628 Madison Avenue, and Mother Rita Mary, Provincial Superior, kindly consented to open their treasures of memories and tell the IM Staff about the different uses of the property since it was first purchased by the Sisters of the Holy Names in July, 1922. Mother Mary Fredricka was the Superior at the Madison Avenue Academy when the property was acquiredby Mother Mary of Lourdes, Provincial Supe - rior at the time. It was then a farm, and the Sisters planned to cultivate it for their own use. Cows, chickens and vegetables were raised. fContinued next pagej Sister Elizabeth Agnes, Superior of the new Academy, has had pre- vious experience with the property. Some time ago, Sister Superior was Mistress of Discipline at the Madi- son Avenue Academy. At that time, the boarders made an occasional excursion to the farm which pro- vided them with private picnic grounds. Today we find on the property the beautiful new academy with its charmingsurroundings of woods and landscaped fields. But what will spring up on our ninety acre cam- pus in the future? The postponed novitiate will undoubtedly be built , some day.

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The annual Alumnae Tea and Fashion Show took N Enjoying an intermission between dances are from LEFT to RIGHT: E. Roche, P. Connelly, J. Salarnida, and J. McCarthy. Alumnae Enioy Tea and Fashion Show place on Saturday afternoon, November 'the twenty- eighth, at the Academy of the Holy Names High School. At the fashion show sponsored by Town and Tweed .and Little Folks' Shop,the Alumnae and their children acted as models. Background music was provided by Joanne Broderick and Janet Walton. Following the fashion show,tea was served. Sev- eral alumnae poured while seniors acted as waitresses. ' Attendance at this year's event broke all records. Perhaps the new school was the attraction. In any case, comments heard afterward indicate that the afternoon was enjoyed by all. Sodality Sponsors November Dance Each fall, preparations for the Sodality Dance create an air of happy expectation in the halls of A,H.N. This year was more exciting than ever before. Perhaps it was because we were older or because we had our beautiful new school to show off. Every day, as the date of the dance drew closer, the halls echoed with: Let's all go together! Fourteen in one car? Did you really ask him? proving how really silly supposedly sophisticated girls can be. The night of November l5finally arrived and the sen- iors uncrossed their fingers as their out -of -town dates made it home on time. ,From 8:30 to 11:30 we danced to Earnie Matelitz' band, and drank the delicious punch made by the juniors. At 11:30 , the closing hour of the dance, a new tradition was begun. Instead of playing Goodnight Sweetheart or something similar to end the dance, the band played one of our favorite hymns, Hail to our Queen. This was very appropriate since our dance is sponsored by the Sodality whose motto is To Jesus Through Mary. BELOW LEFT: Tripping the light fantastic are: Bob Horan,MaureenFox,Cathywaldbillig, Keith Willis, Ted ' Simpson,and Ann Manning. BELOW: Enjoying the deli- cious cakes and punch we find Connie Haczynski , Bud Call, Steve Krause , Mary Ellen Rancourt, and Mary Lib Chelius. 23

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The land was next the site of a boarding school, but for a very short time. The water was quite sulfurous and the bath water used by the boarders smelled like frogs, so the school was inevitably discontinued. Many offers were ma-de to purchase the farm, but the Sisters took the advice of Father William R. Charles, Pastor' of St. Vincent de Paul parish, and didn't sell. A renowned educator, Father was then owner of the Karlsfeld site of the present Mater Christi seminary, directly across New Scot- land Road from the new academy. Finally, the land was rented to different fam - ilies. The last tenant was Doctor Leddy, who lived there for fourteen years, until the land was cleared for the new academy. On these pages JM presents indoor shots of the new school to accompany its interesting his- tory. However, the grounds provide ample room for other facilities. Perhaps the school will some day be expanded to include ajunior college or even a small college. The history ofthe campus of our academy continues to unfold as its first student body uses it for events such as the Rosary procession, founding traditions which we hope will endure with A.H.N. Who can tell what events will be added to the history of 1075 New Scotland Road? We can only hope that it will be as interesting as its past. One of the loveliest parts ofthe new build- ing is the chapel, seen below. However, this is not the first chapel to be constructed on the prop- erty. In the old days of the boarding school, there was another chapel where the Sisters heard Mass onceaweek. A unique feature of the new chapel is the illustration of the litany of the Blessed Virgin on the stained glass windows. Another feature of the campus which preceded the construction of the school is Rose Hill, the peaceful cemetery which lies at the end of the road winding past Lake Henry. Just across the field from the main door of the convent is the shrine in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes carved in pristine white and dedicated to her namesake, Mother Mary of Lourdes. ffff 0 25 if ,.. , ,Pr W gfmfswf L