OLV Elementary consolidates with Catholic Academy

Lackawanna, NY (WBEN) Two Catholic elementary schools become one as the school year starts this week. Catholic Academy is consolidating with OLV Elementary.

Principal Mary Szlosek says the merger came about back in February. "Father David LiPuma and I received a phone call from people at the diocese looking for a partnership because Catholic Academy School building needed significant repair and they were not going to be able to fix it and be ready to open in September and so they asked if we would form this partnership. We gladly did that and went right to work with that. It really is an alignment with the mission and vision that Father Baker set forth for us. So it was a natural fit," says Szlosek.

She says the consolidation has been challenging, fun, exciting, and exhausting-all at the same time. "Back in March, we did some shadow days so that the students got to know one another. All of the Catholic Academy students came and spent a day with their classmates or the same grade-level students here at OLV, and the faculty members came along. And right from the start, the kids connected, and they would see one another on the athletic fields," says Szlosek. She adds they shared school events and went to a Bisons game together. "We really started building friendships and relationships as soon as we knew that this was happening. So that piece has fallen into a wonderful way. Last night we celebrated our traditional backpack blessing with all of the students here and their parents, and the energy was just extremely positive."

The school has opened up some new classrooms. "We've upgraded our security system. We've enlarged our library. We've increased our academic support programs, and we also have a family support center in the school now as well, and that's actually more community-based. So we can give a broader support that will give education and social services to help our families and families in the Lackawanna community to support their families in a variety of ways, but that will be housed here as well," notes Szlosek.

She says moving the technology over was the easy part. "We were able to take furniture and things that we needed to outfit classrooms that we already had here. So that piece has been easy. The technology that they had, some of it we brought brought to OLV. We have a very strong technology center here already. We have one-to-one devices for all of our students. We have virtual reality. We have 3D printers and 3D pens and robotics programs that are already in place, and so from that perspective, we're just spreading the wealth, the technology wealth, to more students," says Szlosek..

There's an adjustment with class sizes, too. "Most of our classes were in the range of 12 to 14, which actually parents have said over the years they choose us because of our smaller class size, so now our class sizes are around 20. I have a couple that are 18. I have a couple that are 24," she notes. "But in response to knowing that that's why parents choose us, I have hired classroom assistants to be in these classrooms, so the adult to student ratio is maintained. So the ratio of adult to students in all of these classrooms is one to 10, one to 12. So the students are going to get just as much attention, if not more, actually. Different ways this year, which is quite exciting."

The first day of class is Wednesday.