When a school has so many applicants that it must resort to a lottery system to accept applications for available openings, it raises community attention. When the school charges a couple thousand dollars tuition yet students and parents still seek to go there rather than the free public school system it's news. And when the documented results add up to superior scores on all kinds of standardized testing at a cost-per-pupil just a fraction of the established public school system, it's the story of DeSales Catholic School at Lockport!
About 550 students in Pre-School through Eighth Grade are at the spacious Chestnut Ridge campus which once housed DeSales High School until that facility was closed for financial reasons by the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo well over a decade ago. After remaining vacant for several years a local church and parent group organized to purchase the school and consolidate Catholic grade schools from St. Mary's, St. Patrick's, and St. John's at a single campus. The results since have been a significant success story in education.
Following the lead of the sleuth shown in the typical DeSales elementary grade classroom below, we sought to establish the answers for the school's success. Even the vacant classroom gives clues. There are all the basics, of course. The chalk board, multi-media aides, books, and a well-maintained physical plant. Integrated within all this, however, some of the "old fashioned" values start to show up.
Motivation is provided throughout the school from dedicated teachers and from such graphic reminders as the banner in the picture above. Also represented in the classroom is "God and Country." You can still find an American flag in some public school classrooms but you won't find a classroom crucifix on display. Nor any other admission of the existence of a God. And with God out of a school, a fairly large chunk of reality isn't brought to a child's attention. Not to worry about that at DeSales. During an Open House, Sunday, 1/23/00, a student tour guide indicated the school not only teaches about God and religion---"It's our most important subject," declared Christina Anderson.
A most important ingredient in any school is the teacher. At DeSales, children benefit from teachers working for more than money, retirement, and benefits. DeSales faculty is paid a small percentage of public school teachers. Yet at DeSales teachers show a personal commitment to individual students...and their parents which is just unachievable in most public schools. When all three---student, teacher, and parent---are focused on education success...it happens! It's an unbeatable combination and it's an everyday, near every-student combination at DeSales. While all DeSales teachers show commitment, not every one has such a cozy looking desk as Kindergarten teacher Gail Jackson. And note that solid oak chair.
Ask any successful public speaker and you'll hear about the benefits of not only controlling your audience but earning their constant attention. Ask a teacher about the same and you'll hear about "discipline problems." When instead of "audience control" a teacher has "audience disorder," the education process...has failure. Part of the DeSales success story is how teachers there maintain audience control, respect, and---teach self-discipline. Audience control is an art --- especially difficult with a young audience. You can ask DeSales Art teacher, Dave Hammer, about how it's done but don't expect him (or us) to summarize the art in a few words.
Those who listen to G. Gordon Liddy on Lockport's WLVL, may have heard his expert analysis of the limitations of public education. Liddy, a master of self-discipline, would probably conclude, like most DeSales visitors, that faculty here not only have audience control but are effective in teaching students the self-discipline they will find valuable in the demands of later education and life.
Your Lockport Page editor has a "day job" that brings him to about a hundred schools across upstate New York a year. It's amazing how, walking into a school building, after an encounter with just a few employees (teachers, staff, administrators) and observation of the student body, a "first impression" is obtained. It most frequently can be validated by looking up that school's student scores on New York State standardized tests. So...what do you think? Did we get a good first impression after going into the classroom of DeSales Social Studies teacher, Ray Haley?
Is the Pope Catholic? Mr. Haley's Social Studies class did a fine job producing a history time line display. If our camera's focus wasn't on the student project, it would be on Mr. Haley's ability to "dress for success." Summers, there could be a job for him as a men's fashion consultant down at Lerch & Daly! Oh, and that date on the chalk board is also correct! The Lockport Home Page has been online since 1996!
The gym at DeSales was the scene of some great high school sport memories...back in "the 20th century." Bill Davins...Couda Sanmarco...Father Lehr Barkenquist ...Les Dugan...hundreds of names and thousands of sport thrills in this gym. Today the gym is another center of activity for the primary school through 8th Grade. Our student tour guide says she enjoys three separate sports at DeSales...
...Christina Anderson, according to our notes, is a 7th grade student at DeSales who transferred in from the Lockport public schools several years ago. (Our notes may be wrong; she had the poise of at least an 8th grader while conducting an hour-long tour. Christina reports she'd like to work in the news media when her formal education is complete.
Tuition starts at $2275 per year ($207 monthly) for a student at DeSales. Pre-school costs less. There's a substantial discount when more than one child from a family attends. There are also a number of student aid and subsidies available. Although cost-per-student at DeSales is not near the $7,000+ it costs taxpayers for those in Lockport Public Schools, it does run a bit more than the $2275 annual tuition. The difference is made up by donors, friends, and an ever growing number of satisfied alumni who recall early success here as the beginning of a successful life.
Please don't ask us to apologize...
For Standing Up For Lockport!
The
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THE PICTURE OF LOCKPORT