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Community Corner

Community Update

Stanwich School Set to Commence Pre-K—12

Program in Greenwich in Fall 2014


Signs long-term lease that will house its Pre-K and Kindergarten students at St. Agnes Catholic Church,

making it the only coeducational, Pre-K—12 independent school in Greenwich from 2014

The Stanwich School announced today that it has signed a long-term lease with the Diocese of Bridgeport which will enable Stanwich to house its early childhood learning center at neighboring St. Agnes Catholic Church at 247 Stanwich Road. This attractive space is within the lower level of the church building and will be leased by The Stanwich School beginning September 2014.  The early childhood learning center will provide Stanwich’s Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students with their own exclusive facility, featuring classrooms and exclusively-for-them indoor and outdoor play areas, in a convenient location just steps away from the Stanwich campus at 257 Stanwich Road.

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Paul Geise, Stanwich School’s Head of School, said, “We are delighted that this opportunity came our way. It represents a major step in achieving our goal of being a coeducational, Pre-K through 12th grade school — which will be the first and only — in Greenwich starting next year.”

Stanwich’s Head of Lower School, Meaghan Mallin, expressed her delight. “We are truly excited about the opportunities this move will create for our Pre-K and Kindergarten.  We will be able to lend a new focus to our childhood program, while continuing the traditions and standard of excellence that the Stanwich programs have been known for.”    

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Both the school and the church enjoy a healthy neighbor relationship, and share road access and parking. Speaking about the agreement, Father James McDevitt of St. Agnes said, “I will be so happy to have the church spaces filled with young people each day, and to help serve the larger community in partnership with Stanwich.”

The early childhood learning center will make full use of both classroom and open spaces within the church’s lower level, a space having been used as a pre-school in the past.  Working with a local architect, refurbishing and renovation plans have begun to create a dynamic learning space that carries out the Stanwich mission. 

The Stanwich School, which currently houses its Upper School grades at a leased facility in Stamford, has chosen not to renew its lease for the Stamford facility when it expires in June 2014. The school eagerly anticipates housing all students at the school’s 40-acre main campus, making it the only coeducational Pre-K through 12 independent school in Greenwich. In addition to vacated Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten classrooms, the school will utilize previously unused square footage at its Stanwich Road facility to accommodate Upper School students on the main campus. Said Jerome Murphy, Head of Stanwich’s Upper School, “We have developed a premier independent school high school program over the past several years.  We look forward to graduating our first class of seniors in May, at the end of this coming academic year.”

Dan Klebes, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Stanwich, added, “The board fully appreciates that our parent body wants their children to attend a fully functioning Pre-K through 12 Stanwich School in order to take full advantage of the school’s academic programs and values-based culture taught by, what we believe, are truly gifted and committed faculty. We have for some time been considering a variety of options to achieve our ambition to offer the only coeducational Pre-K through 12 independent school to the Greenwich community as quickly as possible. Today’s announcement represents another important step in accomplishing that goal and a major breakthrough in our 15-year history. It’s very exciting.” 

About The Stanwich School

The Stanwich School is an academically rigorous, values centered coeducational Pre-K through 12 independent school. Chartered in 1998, the school currently maintains two campuses, with its Pre-K through grade 6 in Greenwich, and 7-12 at a leased facility in Stamford. The Stanwich School is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, and was one of the youngest schools to have achieved that distinction. For information visit, www.stanwichschool.org.

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