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The opening of Saint Gabriel School on September 8, 1956 was the realization of a dream for Monsignor Harold F. Daly and the parishioners of Saint Gabriel Church in Windsor, Connecticut. Many years of planning to establish a parish parochial school came to fruition when the old Roger Ludlow High School building was purchased from the town of Windsor for the sum of $22,000.
The First year’s enrollment totaled 219 students in five grades; class size limited to 42 children. Faculty members consisted of four teaching nuns and a teaching principal belonging to the order of Felician Sisters based in Enfield, Connecticut. Tuition charges were $35.00 per year. A uniform policy was not in place for the first school year, but did take effect the following year.
A curriculum was outlined be the Archdiocese of Hartford in the “Courses of Study for Catholic Elementary Schools.” In the 1961 Course of Study, academic content was structured around the “five main goals of child development: 1) physical fitness; 2) economic competency; 3) social virtue; 4) cultural development and 5) moral and spiritual perfection in Christ.”
Under Monsignor Daly’s tenure, and with the strong support of the parishioners, Saint Gabriel School flourished. There was a waiting list of parents who wished to enroll their children in the school when it reopened for the second year and this trend continued for many years. A successful capital campaign allowed the addition of a new wing in 1961. In 1966 two classrooms of grades 1 through 8 were established and enrollment reached its peak at 625 students, which amounted to full classrooms in almost every grade.
The fortunes of the school mirrored that of other parochial schools in Connecticut, and reflected the declining numbers of school age children in the early 1970s. Enrollment had steadily declined until it was necessary to begin closing one classroom per grade beginning in 1971. During the early 1980s, the future of the middle school was in jeopardy; class size averaged only 15 students and the parish subsidy of the school was increasing.
In the 1990’s Saint Gabriel School was again thriving. We presently have one (1) classroom for each Grade from Kindergarten through Eight. The average size is approximately twenty-five (25) students, as directed by the Guidelines of the Archdiocese of Hartford. In the 1998-1999 school year, construction began on reopening of the 1910 building which had been closed in 1989 due to the decline in enrollment, as was outlined above. The construction project consisted of: building a corridor connecting the 1896 and 1910 buildings; refurbishing the classrooms of the 1910 building; and general cosmetic improvements.
This project has been completed. The upper floors of both buildings consist of “specialty rooms” (Music, Art, Science, Computer, and a Conference Room.) The first floor houses the new Administrative offices, the school library and three (3) classrooms used by Grades 6, 7, and 8. The basement area of the building will house the parish CCD Offices, A CCD Library and CCD meeting room. New Bathroom facilities for the students have been updated and expanded.
Forty-eight years after its inception, Saint Gabriel School remains true to those goals established in 1956. Administration, faculty, and parents put forth a concerted effort to provide each student with a strong academic foundation, the opportunity to integrate faith and Catholic values into everyday life and possess a positive self-image. Throughout its history, the very essence of the school has been the general faith-filled community of Saint Gabriel’s, who remain tireless in their commitment to our children.
Over 2,700 students have graduated from Saint Gabriel School to join the world community. Faced with personal, professional and spiritual challenges as adults, their successes and achievements are truly a testament to all of us.
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