Doane Stuart School

School in Rensselaer, New York, United States

The Doane Stuart School

Location

Rensselaer

New York

United States

Information
Type| Independent school, private school, co-educational
Religious affiliation(s)| Interfaith
Established| 1852 (as Kenwood Academy)
Grades| Early Childhood through Grade 12
Student to teacher ratio| 8:1
Campus| 24 acres (97,000 m2)
Color(s)| Blue & green
Mascot| Thunderchicken
Website| www.doanestuart.org

The Doane Stuart School (formerly Van Rensselaer High School)

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

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Location| 199 Washington Ave., Rensselaer, New York
Coordinates| 42°39′32″N 73°43′37″W﻿ / ﻿42.65889°N 73.72694°W﻿ / 42.65889; -73.72694
Area| 24.53 acres (9.93 ha)
Built| 1930 (1930)-1931, 1938-1939
Architect| Clarence H. Gardinier, Howard O. Fullerton
Architectural style| Art Deco
NRHP reference No.| 12000511[1]
Added to NRHP| August 14, 2012

The Doane Stuart School is a private college preparatory school in Rensselaer, New York. The school is coeducational and interfaith, and it educates students from early childhood through Grade 12.

## History[edit]

The Doane Stuart School ("Doane Stuart") was founded in 1975 as the result of a merger between the Roman Catholic Kenwood Academy (founded by the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1852) and the Episcopal St. Agnes School (founded 1870).[2][3] The name "Doane Stuart" was chosen to honor the first Episcopal Bishop of Albany, the Right Reverend William Croswell Doane, and Roman Catholic educator Janet Erskine Stuart.[2] Doane Stuart's first home was the campus of the old Kenwood Academy in Albany, New York.[4]

Doane Stuart was established as an ecumenical Christian school,[4] but later became an interfaith school.[5] In 2007, the School offered to purchase the former Kenwood Academy from the Society of the Sacred Heart for $7.2 million. The Society rejected the offer.[6] In March 2008, the Board of Trustees of Doane Stuart announced it had decided to end its affiliation with the Network of Sacred Heart Schools[7] due to religious differences.[3] At about the same time, the Society of the Sacred Heart notified the school it would not renew its lease of the former Kenwood Academy.[7] On May 20, 2008, Rensselaer, New York voters approved the proposed sale of the former Van Rensselaer High School to Doane Stuart;[8] Doane Stuart purchased the building for $4 million in September 2008.[9] After a year-long renovation and restoration effort,[4] Doane Stuart opened on September 16, 2009, at the School's new location.[9]

The Doane Stuart School building in Rensselaer, New York was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.[1] As of April 2016, the School's 22,000-square-foot "green roof" was reportedly the largest vegetative roof in the Capital District.[10] The school is co-educational and college preparatory, and educates students from Early Childhood through Grade 12.[11]

On March 23, 2023 the former, "Kenwood Academy" school building in Albany was destroyed by a massive fire.[12]

## Exchange program[edit]

The School hosts an Irish American Exchange program, begun in 2003, which brings together Protestant and Catholic students from Lagan College (a secondary school in Belfast, Northern Ireland) to spend a year at Doane Stuart and live with local families. According to the Albany Times Union, as of 2014, 22 exchange students from Lagan College had spent a school year studying at Doane Stuart, while approximately 100 Doane Stuart students had made one-week visits to Lagan College.[13]

## Notable alumni[edit]

* Paul Carey \- White House Special Assistant to U.S. President Bill Clinton and 77th Commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission.[14]
* Leila Herbert (St. Agnes School) - author
* Joan Vollmer (St. Agnes School) - prominent female member of the early Beat Generation circle.[15]
* Lurana White (St. Agnes School), co-founder of the Society of the Atonement
* Alice Morgan Wright (St. Agnes School) - American sculptor, suffragist, and animal welfare activist. She was one of the first American artists to embrace Cubism and Futurism.[16]
* David Yezzi \- American poet, editor, actor, and professor at Johns Hopkins University.

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 8/13/12 through 8/17/12. National Park Service. 2012-08-24. Archived from the original on 2014-08-11. Retrieved 2015-12-19.
2. ^ a b Franco, James; Bandhold, Stacy (April 10, 2008). "Doane Stuart finds new home in Rensselaer". The Record.
3. ^ a b Waldman, Scott (September 18, 2012). "Abrupt exit at Doane Stuart". Times Union. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
4. ^ a b c Waldman, Scott (September 17, 2009). "Doane Stuart moves across Hudson River". Times Union. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
5. ^ Rogers, Megan (June 24, 2014). "Doane Stuart welcomes new head of school for 2014-15 academic year". Albany Business Review.
6. ^ Churchill, Chris (October 23, 2009). "On the Market: The old Doane Stuart campus". Times Union.
7. ^ a b "School ends religious affiliation". Times Union. March 16, 2008. "This article reports that The Doane Stuart School's Board of Trustees voted to end the school's affiliation with The Society of the Sacred Heart and the Network of Sacred Heart Schools."
8. ^ "School election results". Troy Record. May 22, 2008. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
9. ^ a b Cooper, Robin (September 21, 2009). "Enrollment grows as Doane Stuart opens new Rensselaer campus". Albany Business Review.
10. ^ Grondahl, Paul (April 21, 2016). "'Green Roof' at Doane Stuart School is growing attraction". Times Union. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
11. ^ "Enrichment Resources: After School Options". Spotlight News. 7 August 2018.
12. ^ https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/capital-region/news/2023/03/23/fire-crews-battling-blaze-at-former-doane-stewart-school-
13. ^ Grondahl, Paul (October 1, 2014). "From Belfast to Rensselaer, a lesson on tolerance". Times Union. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
14. ^ "Paid Notice: Deaths CAREY, PAUL ROBERT". June 17, 2001 - via NYTimes.com.
15. ^ "Ex-Loudonville Girl Shot to Death at Mexico City Party; Husband Accused". Albany Times Union. 1951-09-08. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
16. ^ "Collection: Alice Morgan Wright papers | Smith College Finding Aids". findingaids.smith.edu.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Doane Stuart School.

## External links[edit]

* Official site

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