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As it turns out, there are parents in the area who send their children to private schools in other cities as far away as Washington, D.C., said Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic High School Principal Joan Donnelly. But now, Bishop Guilfoyle is giving parents an accelerated private school option closer to home.
Bishop Guilfoyle has been test-driving an accelerated Pre-AP preparatory program for seventh- and eighth-graders since the beginning of the school year, and now with positive feedback, administrators say they are sure it’s worth continuing.
“When you think ‘this is what’s right for kids,’ then you have to do it,” Donnelly said.
Donnelly said the program came naturally from the school’s growth and curriculum, and it isn’t modeled after any other program.
Taking high school courses in seventh and eighth grades allows students to fit more of the school’s 16 college-ready Advanced Placement courses into their high school careers.
Last year, when parents heard rumors that an accelerated program might be on the horizon, they were interested. They began calling Bishop Guilfoyle’s Director of Enrollment Management Yang Liu.
Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh and Kiski Preparatory School are two examples of schools where Donnelly said parents in Altoona have chosen to send their children.
“That speaks to the uniqueness of our program,” she said.
It’s a selective program, admitting only those who score in the top 25 percent of students nationwide on a standardized battery of ability and achievement tests, which take a school day to complete.
But with plans to cap the program’s enrollment at 20 students per year, administrators said Bishop Guilfoyle is not a middle school.
“We are a senior high with a junior high Pre-AP program in it for seventh- and eighth-graders capable of surviving in that environment,” Donnelly said.
Bishop Guilfoyle is independent from the Altoona-Johnstown Catholic Diocese education office.
But when the program emerged, rumors started that Bishop Guilfoyle appeared to be set to compete against the the diocese, which had planned for middle school students to attend one, new middle school.
Altoona-Johnstown diocese spokesman Tony DeGol said there is no controversy over the Guilfoyle program.
“We have our own plan to regionalize schools in Altoona, creating a middle school. They have their plan for seventh- and eighth-graders.” he said. “There are clearly options for families that want Catholic education.”
Bishop Guilfoyle President, the Rev. Jack McDowell, who has visited local parishes, sometimes gets wind of murmurs that Bishop Guilfoyle is trying to start a whole junior high.
“That’s not the case,” he said. “Whoever is feeding this nonsense is not helping anyone.”
Ten students have been enrolled in the Bishop Guilfoyle program.
Liu said the students in this year’s pre-AP class come from public, private non-Catholic and parochial schools. Two new hires were made for the program. One of them is Courtney Zernick, Pre-AP adviser and counselor, whose role is to ensure the students are socially integrated into clubs and activities in the high school.
“The program is definitely a success,” Zernick said.
The other hire was Katrina Brown, Pre-AP facilitator and English teacher. She provides professional development to teachers and tracks students’ progress in the program.
Brown has a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, taught at Guilfoyle, and later in public education for a total of 28 years.
“I came back knowing this program was on the cusp,” she said. “We weren’t sure how it would unfold, but we put the time in and training in what this type of student needed. Parents and students are happy in the program.”
Zernick described the program’s students as aggressive learners, children who’ve ended up assisting teachers.
“One student told me, ‘I’m not the teacher’s assistant anymore.’ That struck a tone with me the most,” she said.
The curriculum isn’t presented in lectures, but hands-on projects.
“In this program, you want to know if you missed something from not being in the classroom,” Donnelly said.
Eighth-graders Julia Cacciotti and Olivia Butler said at first it was difficult to adjust to using iPads for class. Socially, they said they still get to see most of their friends.
“Now that we’ve been here a while, we are more used to it,” Cacciotti said.
They know the program is meant to put them on a track to college.
“It’s a good head start,” Butler said.
The program includes an advisory period where college and career possibilities are discussed individually with the students.
“The goal is that the doors are opened,” Donnelly said. “I hope the program provides it for them. To reach their vision of going to a college they choose. They will be the ones saying ‘no’ to colleges when that time comes.”
Mirror Staff Writer Russ O’Reilly is at 946-7435.