St Marys Academy - Echo Yearbook (Hoosick Falls, NY)

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 The people of the village were just as generous then as they are today but so many had moved away that the finances of the parish were in serious difficulties. Those who remained rallied to the call of their pastor and the school remained in operation. Through the years the Academy has turned out pupils who have been a credit to the teaching of the Sisters of Saint Joseph. Business and professional men and women claim Saint Mary's as Alma Mater. God has also given many vocations to Saint Mary's students and today many of her sons and daughters are serving God as priests and sisters. At the present time it is felt that the Academy building is not adequate for the entire student body. Recent developments in the modern curriculum demand more space and plans are now underway to con- struct a new building for the high school department of the Academy. Land has been purchased at the corner of High Street and Parsons Avenue. It is expected that the new building will be ready for occu- pancy in September 1960. The Reverend George Egan O. S. A. purchased this land in 1956, a few months before he died. Reverend John Lamond O. S. A., our present pastor conducted a pledge-payment drive a few months ago to raise funds to construct the new school building. The drive was a success and soon the new Academy will rest on the hill and take its place among the landmarks of the future. Pago 7

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History of ST. Mary’s Academy Saint Mary's Academy was established in 1891 by the Augustinian Fathers of the Immaculate Con- ception parish in Hoosick Falls. Reverend Patrick J. O'Connell O. S. A. welcomed eleven sisters of Saint Joseph in April 1891. The deliberation and planning for the school had begun with the Reverend James D. Waldron O. S. A. who purchased the property and requested the Sisters of Saint Joseph as teachers. Father Waldron was elected provincial of the Augustinians in the United States in 1890, hence he did not remain in Hoosick Falls to complete his cherished project. Six hundred pupils were enrolled on September 8, 1891. The first academic class completed a three year course and received diplomas at commencement exercises on June 28, 1894. The following year a four year course was introduced and from 1899 the school has been known as Saint Mary's Academy. In the first few years it had been known as Saint Mary's A cademic School. The early days of the Academy were trying ones for the priests and the sisters. Fr. Daniel Regan O. S. A. who had succeeded Fr. O'Connell was forced in 1895 to make a house to house canvas for funds to keep the school in operation. The largest corporation in the village (The Walter A. Wood Co.) was no longer the prosperous enterprise it had once been and this turn in economic conditions had caused a population decrease which in turn affected the school. Page 6

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Our Grade School Faculty Our Sisters as counselors, teachers and friends give example and guidance so essential to a truly Catholic Education. Page 8