Growing Together

"We All Grow Together" says the prize-winning square in a patchwork quilt on display at St. Barnabas High School in the Bronx, now celebrating its 75th anniversary.

The quilt hangs in the main corridor as this year's project of "Spirit Week." The observance takes place every March to encourage enthusiasm among the students in the quiet days between the Christmas and Easter holidays.

"It's a way for each homeroom to become involved individually, and then for them all to come together as a school," said Sister Judith Brady, O.P., principal.

The squares were judged for creativity and content. The top award was a trophy and a dress-down day. The winning square featured 18 felt daisies, each centered by a picture of one of the 18 juniors in homeroom 11-2.

In its three-quarters of a century, St. Barnabas has educated an estimated 9,000 young women, and academic growth always has been emphasized, said Joan Laredo Liddell, Class of '54. One of the many graduates over the years who returned as teachers, she will retire July 30 after 42 years on the faculty.

When Mrs. Liddell began teaching physics and chemistry in 1958, she said, the girls were excellent students. "If your grades were below 90 percent," she said, "you were at the bottom of the class."

The year after she joined the faculty, the school moved from the top floor of the elementary school to its present building across the street. "We were all very excited to come into brand-new, more spacious accommodations," she said.

For the first four years, boys were among the students of the parish high school, located in the Woodlawn section. In 1928 St. Barnabas became a girls high school accredited by the University of the State of New York. Current enrollment is 245.

At first, Mrs. Liddell was among five lay teachers in a faculty that was 90 percent Sisters of Charity. Today the proportions are reversed, with five Sisters of Charity maintaining the congregation's presence.

"There's always been camaraderie between the religious and the lay faculty, a family atmosphere" said Mrs. Liddell, who is now also dean of students. "I never feel like I'm going to work. I still go to school."

The five Sisters of Charity, who've given a total of 101 years to St. Barnabas, are Sisters Georgette Birks, S.C., 33 years, Mary Elizabeth Clancy, S.C., 19 years, Ellen O'Doherty, S.C., and Inez Mela, S.C., both 17 years, and Teresa Dermody, S.C., 15 years.

A modest bronze-colored statue of their founder, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, with her arm around a young girl, stands on a pedestal in the office. The plaque memorializes Sister Evelyn McLaughlin, S.C., principal for 17 years, and Sister Margaret Mary Collins, S.C., who taught for 22 years in the math department.

The current faculty of 20 full-time and four part-time teachers includes religious from other congregations, Sister Gerry McGinn, R.S.H.M., and the principal, a Dominican Sister of Sparkill.

Danielle Belcher, 17, can talk about academic growth. Three years ago she moved from Long Island to the Bronx and enrolled as a sophomore in a public high school. She said the teachers' inability to control disruptive students affected her ability to learn. "My grades dropped, and I even failed math, my favorite subject," she said.

Although she is not a Catholic, she transferred to St. Barnabas as a junior. She thinks the fact that "the teachers really care," combined with the smaller class size, worked together to help her improve her grades and even become a member of the National Honor Society.

She feels more comfortable in a girls school, she said. She appreciates wearing a school uniform, rather than competing in a "fashion show," and her former school's metal detectors never made her feel as safe as she does at St. Barnabas. She will continue her education in the fall at St. John's University as a math major.

St. Barnabas offers the opportunity to earn college credits through a program with the College of Mount St. Vincent in the Bronx called ACCESS (Accelerated College Curriculum for Eligible Senior Students). Among this year's 62 graduating seniors, three have each completed 24 college credits.

The students grow spiritually through their religion curriculum, including a faith-sharing class. Catholic juniors receive training in religious education and get experience by instructing public school students enrolled in the parish program each Wednesday.

Extracurricular activities include ethnic drama, art and glee clubs, athletics, yearbook, respect life and Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD).

Four students received preparation for the sacrament of confirmation from Father Arulrajan Peter, parochial vicar at St. Barnabas, and were confirmed on June 10 by retired Auxiliary Bishop George E. Lynch of Raleigh, N.C., who resides in the parish.

Connie Anestis, head of the English department and a faculty member for 36 years, described the increased racial and ethnic diversity among the students over the years as "a wonderful thing that has enriched the school."

The area served by the school has grown, she said, and now includes Manhattan, Mount Vernon and Brooklyn. "It's our Christian mission to serve everyone and to give them all a chance," she said.

In the fall St. Barnabas will begin a new Medical Horizons program in conjunction with Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center. The courses will introduce students to a variety of medical careers.

Although the school received Middle States accreditation in 1968, Sister Judith said this year St. Barnabas opted for the Middle States' new program, "Accreditation for Growth: Continuous School Improvement from Planning to Doing." She said, "There's an excitement about the process. It allows us to make an excellent school even better."

Msgr. Francis X. Toner, pastor of St. Barnabas, will preside at commencement on Saturday, June 17, in the chapel auditorium. The speaker will be Denise Richardson, Class of '64, co-anchor of "Wake Up New York," WLIB, 1190 AM, and host of "Good Day Street Talk," WNYW-TV, Ch. 5.

"At the graduation and the functions we're having for the graduates, we're mentioning the 75th anniversary," Sister Judith said. "We want this Class of 2000 to be aware that they were here for this great event."