Valued Presence

Transfiguration School marks 175 years in lower Manhattan

By MARY ANN POUST

When Transfiguration School opened its doors in 1832, its students were the children of lower Manhattan's poor Irish families—in line with the mission of the school's founder, Father Felix Varela, a prominent figure in the early days of the archdiocese, who championed services to immigrants.

By the end of the century, the Irish had moved on and were replaced by the Italian immigrants whose children and grandchildren defined the next stage of the community, the parish and the school.

Now the neighborhood is known as Chinatown, and Transfiguration is celebrating its 175th anniversary still doing what it has always done—educating the sons, daughters and descendents of the latest wave of immigrants; this time, the Chinese.

"Generations of children have been taught in this school," said principal Patrick Taharally.

And the school is going at least as strong, if not stronger, than ever. Its classrooms from pre—kindergarten through grade eight are full, there's a sizable and active wait list for all levels, and its student body virtually always performs above the 90th percentile in standardized tests. The school's New York State math scores for 2007, for instance, were 97.1 in fourth grade and 90.9 in eighth.

The school's success, Taharally said, can be credited to several factors.

"There's a strong tradition here, characterized by a very caring and warm family—oriented environment and a commitment to academic excellence," he said, noting also that it has "a great faculty" and "a lot of support from parents."

"They place a very high premium on education, and they make a tremendous sacrifice," he said. "Teacher expectations and parental expectations are high with respect to the children."

A recent survey of parents found that they also "love the fact that there's a very strong moral component to the children's education. They value that, even though many are not Catholic," Taharally said.

"And they value the disciplined environment we provide," he said. "I don't mean strict. I mean that we teach the children to be self—disciplined.

"Finally, I think it's important that we also have a larger community that values the presence of Transfiguration and supports our school," he said.

Transfiguration Elementary School at 29 Mott St. and its companion kindergarten and preschool at 10 Confucius Plaza—led by principal Emily Eng—Tran, herself a Transfiguration graduate—marked the 175th anniversary at a dinner May 9.

Honored at the event were Joel I. Klein, chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, and the legacy of Father Varela, who became archdiocesan vicar general after founding Transfiguration parish and school. His cause for canonization has been proposed.

Janet Price Bertomen, director of the Kindergarten School from 1988 until her retirement in 2000, also was recognized at the dinner.

Father Raymond Nobiletti, M.M., pastor of Transfiguration, in a message to dinner guests and supporters, expressed the thanks of all who have served the school since its beginnings and invited them to become "part of our future" as the school seeks to realize its vision of expanding its programs and facilities in the years ahead.

Transfiguration Elementary School, built at its present location in 1922, adjoins Transfiguration Church and is integrated with it in many ways. Situated on a lively but narrow block in one of the oldest, most historic neighborhoods in New York, the church and school buildings take up virtually all of the space on their property, making a neat fit.

Connecting doorways go back and forth between the church and school buildings, for instance, with lots of movement back and forth. The rectory is on the fourth floor of the school building, and the room used as the gym and auditorium is in the basement of the church, where it doubles as a parish hall. At other times, religious education classes and a Chinese school for children meet in the classrooms.

"Between the parish and the school, every square inch of this building is occupied," Taharally said.

Nevertheless, the snug quarters and relatively small student body have an upside in that they contribute to the family atmosphere, said eighth—grade teacher Matthew Tomasulo.

"Everyone knows everyone here," said Tomasulo, a 1959 graduate of Transfiguration who returned as a teacher in 1971.

"We know our students, we know their families, we know their situations, and we know what the families might need help with," he said.

"The parents know too that they can call up and make an appointment if they have a problem," he added. "It's all mutually supportive."

Shortly after founding Transfiguration parish further downtown, Father Varela, a native of Cuba, began holding classes in 1828, with his classes evolving into Transfiguration School in 1832. The parish moved a few years later to the City Hall area, then went further north to the Mott Street location in 1853.

The Christian Brothers were invited to teach the boys and the Sisters of Charity were invited to teach the girls in the Mott Street school (a forerunner to the current school) which had an enrollment of 1,000 and was tuition—free within its first five years. Among its students was Cardinal Patrick Hayes, Archbishop of New York during the 1920s, who attended Transfiguration as a boy in the 1870s.

Other religious congregations followed on the school staff, with one of the most noteworthy faculty members being St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, then known as Mother Cabrini, who taught there when the school was mainly Italian. The last congregation to staff the school was the Maryknoll Sisters, who served through the 1950s.

Today, a staff of lay teachers instructs a student body of 261 in the elementary school, of whom 99 percent are Chinese American and approximately 80 percent are non—Catholic. Tuition is $3,560, with an additional $165 per month for an optional but well—attended after—school program.

The school boasts wi—fi in most of its classrooms, along with newly installed interactive smart boards to augment the traditional blackboards. In addition to its rigorous academic program, the elementary school also features classes in religion, which Taharally said integrates Gospel values into all curriculum areas, and a program in the arts, which he said is needed for a balanced education.

"There are students who may not do well in math, but will excel in art, and this gives them an opportunity to express themselves in a more creative way," he said.

The Kindergarten School, started by the Maryknoll Sisters in 1974, is currently located in rented quarters in the neighborhood. It enrolls 159 children in a full—day program geared to the hours of working parents, with tuition of $5,700 per year. These students, too, are 90 percent Chinese American and 90 percent non—Catholic.

Ms. Eng—Tran, the principal, described a comprehensive program that includes the arts, Chinese dance, choir, piano, gymnastics and Chinese culture and language.

"It's not just, 'Now it's nap time, now it's silent time,' " she said, "and in the summer, we even offer swimming."

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