By Emily Drooby
From going to class here in kindergarten to having his own class, Peter Stamm loved Sacred Heart Catholic Academy of Glendale so much that he’s now a teacher there.
Keeping former students close is one of the reasons the school won big in the “Best of the Boro” awards.
“The results really speak for themselves, for people to vote this much and to keep bringing their kids here, it’s a very cool thing to see,” Peter told Currents News.
For the third year in a row, they were voted the best Catholic school in Queens by the competition put together by Schneps Media.
“The ‘Bethpage Best of the Boro’ is really a program that’s all about the opinions of the public, explained Joshua Schneps, the CEO And Co-publisher of Schneps Media. “You know, we have hundreds of thousands of votes that come through each year, so you know to win is a major accomplishment,” he added.
The competition names everything from the best school, to the best local pizza.The award is voted on by the community, and the school has a strong one.
“We have an amazing set of teachers and administrators here,” Christopher Russo, a parent of a student at the school explained. “We are backed by a very strong parent base. We also have a good parish and community of Glendale that loves our school, and we have an alumni of 80 plus years that backs our school.”
This third win is a momentous one. The Chairperson of Sacred Heart-Glendale’s board of directors, Fred Haller, said they had big competition.
“We have strong schools, strong Catholic High Schools in Queens and strong grammar schools, and we are among the smallest in the entire borough,” he said.
It was also a tumultuous year for all New York City schools, forced to adapt and adjust because of the pandemic.
“In one day an entire faculty, which maybe used some technology sometimes, really adjusted, knocked it out of the park,” Fred added.
The school survived and thrived — enrollment grew this year. Most importantly, students and parents are happy.
Now, they’re enjoying the big win. Faculty tells Currents News that the recognition brings in more students, and even gets their current students noticed by better high schools and colleges.
So, the only question left to ask is: Will they be able to make it four years in a row?