Former Stella Maris Regional School May be Used as Preschool for Saint Andrews

Janet Joyce Wednesday, July 18, 2012

It was a shock to many in Long Island when Stella Maris Regional School closed its doors in June of 2011. The closing was not only a shock because of the popularity of the school. It was shocking because of how quickly it happened.

The old school which used to host children from nursery age to eighth grade may have a new life thanks to St. Andrews Roman-Catholic Church. The church, which owns the school building located on Division Street in Sag Harbor has plans to use the space for a nursery and preschool. It wants to carry on the tradition started by the oldest Roman-Catholic school on Long Island.

The reason why Stella Maris Regional School was forced to close was a result of the close to $480,000 worth of debt that had been amassed over the years. As the local diocese revealed the financial problems of the school, things quickly began to unravel.

The new structure would remove the financial control from the diocese. Toni Rozzi, the director of the new school, has made sure that all of the curriculum and direction as well as the finances will be handled by the school rather than by the diocese.

The current hurdle for the school to get past before it can even start hiring teachers is to get the approval and licensing from the State of New York’s Department of Children and Family Services. It is unclear whether the school will be able to get back many of the teachers which made the Stella Maris Regional School famous. The level of education was unparalleled for children between three and four years old.

The curriculum has been set for children and programs are being worked on. There are three ways in which students can attend the school. There are two half-day programs for morning or afternoon. There is also a full-day program available for working parents. An interesting convention is the 8 a.m. drop-off time for parents who need to get to work.

If the licensing and approval can happen soon, the school will start signing up children to take part in the nursery and Pre-K programs for the fall.

janetj@longislandyellowpages.com

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