January 9, 2020

St. Stanislaus School in Chicopee awarded third NEAS&C accreditation

REGIONAL
By Rebecca Drake

(IObserve photo/courtesy of St. Stanislaus School)

CHICOPEE – St. Stanislaus School, here, was recently awarded reaccreditation by The New England Association of Schools & Colleges (NEAS&C) for the third time. 

The school was first accredited in 1999. A globally-recognized standard of excellence, NEAS&C accreditation attests to a school’s high quality and integrity. It is a statement of the institutional health of the school, of its adherence to standards, and the integrity of its programs. It is an assurance of quality for teacher candidates, and for families of prospective students.

Franciscan Sister of St. Joseph Cecelia Haier, principal, and Karen Shea, assistant principal, have guided the process since the first accreditation in 1999.  

Accreditation is a powerful vehicle for school change and improvement. Schools learn about themselves and set goals for the future in a comprehensive self-study. The self-study process usually takes 18 months to two years, and involves all members of the school community. There is then a formal visit by a team of peers to observe the school in action over four days.

The visiting committee prepares a report for the school and the NEAS&C, assessing compliance with 15 standards: mission, governance, enrollment, program, experience of the students, resources to support the program, early childhood program, faculty, administration, evaluation and assessment, health and safety, communication, and infrastructure.  

(IObserve photo/courtesy of St. Stanislaus School)

The visiting committee then formulates recommendations for school improvement and makes a recommendation for accreditation status.

The committee’s report stated, “The visiting team commends St. Stanislaus School for fulfilling and living its mission statement to serve its students spiritually, physically, socially, and academically and for their academic program that clearly defines and prepares students to reach their full potential due to a Catholic holistic approach of education.”

The letter from the NEAS&C stated, “The commission particularly commends the entire school community for completing an honestly reflective and comprehensive self-study. The dedication of the long-term faculty and staff is noteworthy, as are the energy and effort these seasoned educators have put forth to welcome new faculty members.

“In addition, the commission commends the school’s dedication to the Franciscan charism.”

St. Stanislaus School has already implemented the recommendations from the report, which included an upgrade to the security system with additional recordable cameras.

Among those congratulating the school on its achievement of reaccreditation, was Daniel Baillargeon, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Springfield Diocese, who noted, “Anytime we complete this process, it is an indication of health and a tremendous amount of work from our schools.”

Also celebrating the good news is Urszula Wolanska-Fettes, whose two daughters are students at St. Stanislaus. She also has a stepson who graduated from the school 10 years ago.

“My husband and I have invested over 15 years in St. Stanislaus School, not because we have too much money, but because of the results, we see in our children,” Wolanska-Fettes told iObserve. “They grow, flourish and thrive, being nurtured and challenged every day. We are beyond thrilled to witness, once again, reaccreditation of St. Stan’s by NEAS&C, knowing how much work and effort the faculty and administration put in to educate our children.”