New St. Aloysius School planned in New Canaan

NEW CANAAN — Driven by “declining enrollment” in the last five years, St. Aloysius School will be converted to a Pre-K through fourth-grade school that will include the construction of a new building, according to a letter from Rev. Rob Kinnally.

St. Aloysius plans to construct a new building that will be able to serve “more than 900” students, “hosting meetings for our growing ministries on nights and weekends and provide a permanent and upgraded space for St. Aloysius Academy,” Kinnally said in the letter.

That total population estimate for the new building would account for both the current and prospective full-time students of St. Aloysius School and afterschool religious education students, principal Mr. Michaela Marasco told Hearst Monday.

The St. Aloysius parish was founded in 1896 and has three church buildings on South Avenue between Maple and Cherry streets. It has served the area for more than 120 years with and nearly 3,000 families, according to its website.

Marasco said that he believes many are under the wrong impression that the school facing South Avenue has fewer children in the higher grades than the lower grades. “You know how rumors get started, but the school is basically evenly divided,” he said.

He also raised concerns for the families in the school. “Part of the appeal of Catholic education historically has been that the parents don’t have to move their children to a middle school,” Marasco said.

The new school would be built since “the facilities are also aging in a significant way and need to be addressed in the short-term future,” Kinnally said in the letter. The diocese will then aid in facilitating “a transition to Catholic or public middle school.”

Though the changes “are exciting for our parish, school and New Canaan communities,” Kinnally’s letter acknowledges that this may “also be difficult for our school families.”

The principal spoke with a number of parents after school who he said emphasized a desire for continuity and having all their children under one school roof. He placed himself in an example of a parent with two daughters in the school. “If I have to move my daughter who is in the sixth grade, I’m going to move my daughter in second grade,” he said.

Marasco estimates that only about 10 families with students in the school live in New Canaan. He also said that 19 students in the higher grades have siblings that currently attend the lower grades.

The principal raised concerns that most other middle schools in the area start at sixth grade, unlike New Canaan, where Saxe Middle School starts in fifth grade.

In anticipation of new construction, there will be at least a two-year transition beginning in the fall of 2022 when the school will continue to educate up to eighth grade and “be housed in the former Holy Spirit School in North Stamford,” the letter states. “That building was completely renovated and is in move-in condition.”

Marasco was relieved by that decision.

“Having done building projects before, I don’t like to have kids present on the campus,” Marasco said.

Throughout this transition, the priests of Saint Aloysius will continue to minister to the school’s families.

“The prospect of being able to serve all parts of our growing community of faith is very exciting — and I hope to share more with you about my vision for this project in the coming months,” Kinnally wrote.

Diocese of Bridgeport Superintendent Steve Cheeseman said the plan is to “re-imagine the school” after receiving “input from parish leaders,” according to the announcement.

The change, he stated, was driven by declining enrollment and a strong need for a focus on early education in the community.