April 5, 2023

Augustinian Academy in Carthage offers a unique and valuable educational experience for students in Jefferson and Lewis counties. Enrollment is in full swing and registrations are now being accepted for the 2023-24 school year.

There are so many reasons to choose Augustinian Academy for your child. Strong academic programs, religious instruction, and a focus on values and character development are just a few that prompt many parents in the Carthage and Fort Drum areas to choose to send their children to Augustinian Academy.

Building a strong educational foundation for our students is a priority at Augustinian Academy. We boast smaller than average class sizes, which allows for more individual attention and personalized instruction. The teachers at our school are highly qualified and dedicated. Our rigorous academic standards are thoroughly taught and our students are held to high expectations in terms of taking responsibility for their education. We currently follow NYS Next Generation Standards and our school has met the criteria to be accredited by the Cognia Global Commission. Our participation in NYS assessments allows us to be recognized as substantially equivalent.

This year, our Science Olympiad Team placed second at the Adirondack Regional Science Olympiad. As a result, the team will have the exciting opportunity to participate in the New York State Science Olympiad Tournament in Syracuse on April 14-15.

Religious instruction is paramount at Augustinian Academy. Our students receive instruction in the Catholic faith and are encouraged to practice their faith through regular attendance at Mass, participation in sacramental preparation, and religious activities such as daily prayer, Lent and Advent prayer services, adoration and more. At Augustinian Academy, a child’s faith formation is an integral aspect of their education and valued as highly as academic growth.

In addition to supporting individual religious growth, we place a strong emphasis on character development and values at our school. Augustinian Academy encourages students to be respectful, responsible, and caring individuals who are committed to making a positive difference in the world. Values and character development are particularly important in today’s society, where issues such as bullying and violence are all too common.

This school year, our Military Family Life Coordinator and our Family Support Counselor visited each classroom (K-8) on a monthly basis to intentionally teach social skills. What makes a good friend, how to exercise impulse control, how to regulate emotions, and how to be empathetic are some of the important topics our students covered.

Our principal, Mrs. Margrey reinforces the social skill being discussed by carefully tailoring her daily announcements and prayers to emphasize their importance.

Augustinian Academy is a close-knit, family centered, supportive community. We strive to offer opportunities for our students to participate in extracurricular activities and community service projects. All families are part of our SJVO (Saint Joseph Volunteer Organization). Our SJVO allows parents and caregivers many opportunities to support our school through fundraising and school activities. Most recently, our SJVO hosted a fun event for the families of our school: A Parent/Child St. Patrick’s Day Dance, entitled “SHAM-ROCK.” This event featured music, dancing, special treats, crafts, and games for families to enjoy with their friends in a warm, fun atmosphere.

Amora, a second grader, attended the dance with her father, Jermaine. Amora shared that she had a wonderful time and that her favorite part of the event was “getting to dance with my Dad.” Amora noted that “sometimes we dance at home, but this was different since we got to dress up and dance together.” Amora reported that she “loved getting to wear her new gold dress and even got to wear heels.”

Amora has been a student at Augustinian since Kindergarten, and when asked why she loves her school, she responded, “I love getting to wear my uniform because blue is my favorite color and I love when my teacher lets us have fun in the classroom by playing learning games with us.”

At Augustinian we have proudly cultivated our after school programming to offer new opportunities for our students. This year, we are offering various sports, art, music, and drama club, STEM activities and more. These groups, teams and clubs give our students even greater opportunities to develop skills and help them become well-rounded individuals. Our teachers are dedicated to our students inside and outside the classroom. Many of our staff volunteer their time and talents by running these clubs and afterschool programs.

Our Art teacher, Miss Greenwood has recently started an afterschool art club to teach young budding artists in a safe, creative environment. Currently, the students in her club are working on color blending, shading and painting techniques while completing canvas painting projects.

Abigail, a fifth-grade student shared that, “Miss Greenwood makes art learning fun by showing us new techniques that make us better artists. I am happy to do art club because I like doing extra art projects.”

Ms. Schexnayder, our eighth-grade teacher, and her husband have been running our after school karate program for the past three years. Ms. S. shares that, “We teach Ryukyu Kempo, which is a traditional Okinawan karate style that incorporates karate, self-defense and traditional weapons. In addition, we focus on strong mental and physical fitness with discipline, focus, respect, and sincerity.”

Nathan, a fourth-grade student is an orange belt in his second year with the program. Nathan says that he “loves learning about self-defense. Tuesdays and Thursdays are my favorite days because they are karate days.” He enjoys karate so much that he reads books about karate at home. He studies the books to know the ranking system for belts and enjoys learning about the traditional weapons in karate.

Through various grant funding, Augustinian Academy is happy to offer our students and other students in our community various summer opportunities, as well.

This summer for the third year, we will be hosting a week long STEM camp and a week long Vacation Bible School to all area students. Additionally, this year we will offer a new summer enrichment program to our students to assist their academic growth as well as provide new experiences.

With our strong academic programs, religious instruction, focus on values and character development, and supportive community, Augustinian Academy provides students with the tools they need to succeed academically and personally. If there is a student in your life, preschool age through 8th grade, please consider Augustinian Academy for the many benefits and unique opportunities which we offer. Augustinian Academy will host an Open House on Sunday, June 4th, from 11am-1pm. Prospective families or anyone interested in learning more about our school are warmly invited to attend. Staff are available to give school tours and provide information about our school year-round. Please visit our website at www.c-augustinian.org or call us at 315-493-1301 for more information.