As the only all-girls Catholic school in the Capital District, Academy of the Holy Names provides a unique learning environment to the region.
“By offering same-sex education, girls feel empowered to succeed,” said Ellen Gelting, communications and marketing specialist for the Albany-based school. “They don’t feel the pressure of having to compete with boys.”
Holy Names began in 1884 as the Academy of Notre Dame. It changed its name to Holy Names in 1899 when it was located on Madison Avenue in Albany. The high school moved to its New Scotland Road location in 1957, and its lower and middle schools moved into the same building in 1968. Today, Holy Names offers education for girls as young as the age of three in its pre-Kindergarten program all the way to 12th grade.
Although it is a Catholic school, Gelting said any girl can attend.
“Holy Names welcomes girls of all religious and ethnic backgrounds, and we do have a diverse student population,” said Gelting.
Holy Names’ academic reputation is very good. Gelting said 100 percent of its high school graduating classes are accepted into colleges, and the school is especially strong in math and science.
“Science, math and technology in general is really stressed at the high school level,” said Gelting.
Because it is a single-sex private school, Holy Names can offer small class sizes and individual attention.
“It’s really a college prep school that focuses on strong academics and educating a really well-rounded girl who can make the world a better place,” said Gelting. “That’s the mission of the school.”
Strong academics is only one aspect of student life at Holy Names. The school also offers a highly regarded performing arts program, and its high school varsity sports teams are very competitive within Section II, especially in basketball and track and field.
Community service is an important part of the school’s mission and students are required to do community service before reaching graduation.
“Service here is also a component of the education,” said Gelting. “It is about analyzing and addressing the problems they see and becoming educated about them. Those who can analyze problems and think about them can also be leaders for creating change.”
Parents and prospective students can learn more about what Holy Names has to offer when it holds an open house for its pre-K and lower school (through fifth grade) programs will be held Thursday, Jan. 24, from 10 a.m. to noon.
An open house for grades 6-12 will be held Wednesday, March 6, at 7 p.m.
“We want girls and their families to take a tour of the school and meet the teachers and the students,” said Gelting. “They can talk to the students and ask questions, and they can talk to the teachers.”
For information, call Holy Names at 438-7895 or visit the school’s website at www.ahns.org.
