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Celebrating Centennial, School Remains Flexible
USINFO | 2014-01-07 17:12
NEW ROCHELLE— THE principal of the 100-year-old Ursuline School here, Sister Jean Baptiste Nicholson, is not known as a person to skirt the issue -- unless the issue is skirts.
''I tell them to roll them down and they roll them up,'' she said, speaking of rolling the skirts up at the waist to adjust the hemlines of the plaid skirt that is part of the winter uniform for the 685 students at this girls' Roman Catholic preparatory school.
Elizabeth F. Gallagher of Ardsley, a senior, said the rule is that the fingertips should reach to at least the bottom of the skirt when the student is standing. She and a fellow senior, Mary J. Grendell of White Plains, demonstrated and were found to be in compliance.
But bustling up and down the corridors and across this 13-acre campus on the north end of town one recent midday were scores of girls who, judging from the length of their skirts, looked as if they were late for cheerleading practice.
''If there's one thing I've learned in 23 years as principal,'' Sister Jean Baptiste said, ''it's 'don't sweat the small stuff.' ''
The skirt story is valuable, however, as a metaphor for Ursuline's ability to remain flexible and flourish as it celebrates its centennial this year while many other schools struggle to remain viable.
''We've kept up with the times,'' Sister Jean Baptiste said. ''Not all schools have a waiting list, I'm told. We have a waiting list for every grade.'' She said the retention rate for students is well into the 90 percent range. ''And there's a new phenomenon,'' she said. ''Kids transfer out because the parents are transferred. Then the parents transfer back, and we get the girls back.''
The Ursuline Order nun, who is called Sister J. B.'' by the students and simply J. B. by her staff and faculty, displayed a wry humor and a quiet confidence in the Ursuline School's mission during a recent interview. But emotion showed when she turned to the subject of the academic record of her graduates.
''There are no exceptions, none in years,'' she said. ''One hundred percent of our kids go to college.''
She also observed that Ursuline was designated a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, in 1985 and again in 1996. ''We had to fill out a very elaborate report,'' she said. ''They sent a visitor to the campus. Then we went to Washington to get the awards. These honors keep you on your toes.''
Ursuline began its life in the converted Leland Castle in the south end of this city and for years was part of the College of New Rochelle. Traditionally, a liberal arts school, it has now begun to emphasize math and science.
Elizabeth Gallagher, who demonstrated the skirt protocol, has already won an early-decision admission to Yale where she plans to study science. Mary Grendell, editor of the school newspaper, was awaiting word from several Ivy League and Jesuit colleges and was considering studying English.
Patricia Dorado McAndrew of Bronxville graduated from Ursuline in 1977 and felt enough affinity to the school to join its board of trustees six years ago.
''The school has evolved with the culture of the times,'' she said. ''With its strong focus on education it has remained flexible to changes in society. It has broadened course offerings.''
Mrs. McAndrew, who graduated from the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University and then entered a career in advertising, provided a surprising example. When she was an Ursuline student, Latin was offered, but it was largely ignored. ''Many more students take it now out of their own free will. They realize it's an important tool for languages,'' she said.
Sister Jean Baptiste, a native of the Bronx who took her vows 40 years ago, seemed to have no illusions about her students.
''The girls are not much interested in entering the religious life,'' she said. ''Most of the girls are ready to take on the world. They don't need another single-gender school. They prefer Georgetown, Boston College, Holy Cross, Fordham or the Ivys.''
She is adamant, however, in perpetuating Ursuline as a girls' school. ''In adolescence they're questioning who they are.'' she said. ''An all-girls environment makes a vast difference in their self-esteem. I've done some research. The girls are changing. They're coming to terms with who they are. This is at the heart of what we do. The opportunity is here to lead and to serve.''
She added that Ursuline provides the role models. ''Women run the school,'' she said, although there are male teachers.
The cost to attend Ursuline is $6,500 a year with 25 to 30 percent of the students receiving some scholarship or work-study assistance. Although it is a Catholic institution, 20 percent of the students are not Catholic. About 24 percent are members of minority groups, she said.
Ursuline, a commuter school, requires all students to volunteer for community projects, and the school itself attained a special distinction for ecumenism when it went to the aid of its immediate neighbor, Beth El Synagogue Center.
''One of my faculty's husbands belongs to the temple,'' Sister Jean Baptiste said. ''They wanted to know if we could help with the overflow for the High Holy Days.''
She handled it by declaring a school holiday at Ursuline and giving over the campus to the synagogue last Yom Kippur. ''We were very pleased to do it,'' she said. ''That's what makes a community. We're going to do it again this year.''
She has also made campus parking available to the nearby Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church for its festival and for the JAL Big Apple Classic, to be played at the nearby Wykagyl Golf Club this year during the week of July 14.
Ursuline, which has upward of 5,000 graduates, has no endowment to speak of and depends on tuition and yearly fund-raising events. Its gala centennial celebration will take place on April 12. It will consist of dinner in the homes of the parents of students, graduates and friends of the school, with celebrants returning to Ursuline for dessert, champagne and entertainment.
Cost for the evening is $125, or $50 for the campus portion of the event. Ursuline is expecting 250 to 300 people.
Sister Jean Baptiste, in addition to directing the school and conducting skirt patrol, teaches early-morning classes in advanced Latin.
Is this schedule getting tiresome? she was asked, and she replied: ''People say, 'How long will you stay?' I answer, 'As long as I'm happy. I'm up at 5. The day I don't want to do it, I'll do something else,' ''
''I tell them to roll them down and they roll them up,'' she said, speaking of rolling the skirts up at the waist to adjust the hemlines of the plaid skirt that is part of the winter uniform for the 685 students at this girls' Roman Catholic preparatory school.
Elizabeth F. Gallagher of Ardsley, a senior, said the rule is that the fingertips should reach to at least the bottom of the skirt when the student is standing. She and a fellow senior, Mary J. Grendell of White Plains, demonstrated and were found to be in compliance.
But bustling up and down the corridors and across this 13-acre campus on the north end of town one recent midday were scores of girls who, judging from the length of their skirts, looked as if they were late for cheerleading practice.
''If there's one thing I've learned in 23 years as principal,'' Sister Jean Baptiste said, ''it's 'don't sweat the small stuff.' ''
The skirt story is valuable, however, as a metaphor for Ursuline's ability to remain flexible and flourish as it celebrates its centennial this year while many other schools struggle to remain viable.
''We've kept up with the times,'' Sister Jean Baptiste said. ''Not all schools have a waiting list, I'm told. We have a waiting list for every grade.'' She said the retention rate for students is well into the 90 percent range. ''And there's a new phenomenon,'' she said. ''Kids transfer out because the parents are transferred. Then the parents transfer back, and we get the girls back.''
The Ursuline Order nun, who is called Sister J. B.'' by the students and simply J. B. by her staff and faculty, displayed a wry humor and a quiet confidence in the Ursuline School's mission during a recent interview. But emotion showed when she turned to the subject of the academic record of her graduates.
''There are no exceptions, none in years,'' she said. ''One hundred percent of our kids go to college.''
She also observed that Ursuline was designated a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, in 1985 and again in 1996. ''We had to fill out a very elaborate report,'' she said. ''They sent a visitor to the campus. Then we went to Washington to get the awards. These honors keep you on your toes.''
Ursuline began its life in the converted Leland Castle in the south end of this city and for years was part of the College of New Rochelle. Traditionally, a liberal arts school, it has now begun to emphasize math and science.
Elizabeth Gallagher, who demonstrated the skirt protocol, has already won an early-decision admission to Yale where she plans to study science. Mary Grendell, editor of the school newspaper, was awaiting word from several Ivy League and Jesuit colleges and was considering studying English.
Patricia Dorado McAndrew of Bronxville graduated from Ursuline in 1977 and felt enough affinity to the school to join its board of trustees six years ago.
''The school has evolved with the culture of the times,'' she said. ''With its strong focus on education it has remained flexible to changes in society. It has broadened course offerings.''
Mrs. McAndrew, who graduated from the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University and then entered a career in advertising, provided a surprising example. When she was an Ursuline student, Latin was offered, but it was largely ignored. ''Many more students take it now out of their own free will. They realize it's an important tool for languages,'' she said.
Sister Jean Baptiste, a native of the Bronx who took her vows 40 years ago, seemed to have no illusions about her students.
''The girls are not much interested in entering the religious life,'' she said. ''Most of the girls are ready to take on the world. They don't need another single-gender school. They prefer Georgetown, Boston College, Holy Cross, Fordham or the Ivys.''
She is adamant, however, in perpetuating Ursuline as a girls' school. ''In adolescence they're questioning who they are.'' she said. ''An all-girls environment makes a vast difference in their self-esteem. I've done some research. The girls are changing. They're coming to terms with who they are. This is at the heart of what we do. The opportunity is here to lead and to serve.''
She added that Ursuline provides the role models. ''Women run the school,'' she said, although there are male teachers.
The cost to attend Ursuline is $6,500 a year with 25 to 30 percent of the students receiving some scholarship or work-study assistance. Although it is a Catholic institution, 20 percent of the students are not Catholic. About 24 percent are members of minority groups, she said.
Ursuline, a commuter school, requires all students to volunteer for community projects, and the school itself attained a special distinction for ecumenism when it went to the aid of its immediate neighbor, Beth El Synagogue Center.
''One of my faculty's husbands belongs to the temple,'' Sister Jean Baptiste said. ''They wanted to know if we could help with the overflow for the High Holy Days.''
She handled it by declaring a school holiday at Ursuline and giving over the campus to the synagogue last Yom Kippur. ''We were very pleased to do it,'' she said. ''That's what makes a community. We're going to do it again this year.''
She has also made campus parking available to the nearby Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church for its festival and for the JAL Big Apple Classic, to be played at the nearby Wykagyl Golf Club this year during the week of July 14.
Ursuline, which has upward of 5,000 graduates, has no endowment to speak of and depends on tuition and yearly fund-raising events. Its gala centennial celebration will take place on April 12. It will consist of dinner in the homes of the parents of students, graduates and friends of the school, with celebrants returning to Ursuline for dessert, champagne and entertainment.
Cost for the evening is $125, or $50 for the campus portion of the event. Ursuline is expecting 250 to 300 people.
Sister Jean Baptiste, in addition to directing the school and conducting skirt patrol, teaches early-morning classes in advanced Latin.
Is this schedule getting tiresome? she was asked, and she replied: ''People say, 'How long will you stay?' I answer, 'As long as I'm happy. I'm up at 5. The day I don't want to do it, I'll do something else,' ''
