EDISON – St. Helena School, which has been called a landmark, a jewel and a staple of the community, is celebrating 50 years of growth and accomplishments.
Church officials broke ground for the school at 930 Grove Ave., Edison, on April 16, 1967. The first day of school was Sept. 4, 1968, for children in grades one through three. Grades were added each year thereafter. By Sept. 3, 1972, the school welcomed 440 students in grades one through seven and by September 1975, a kindergarten class was added. Today, the school enrolls children in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
The Township Council presented the Rev. Anthony Sirianni with a proclamation recognizing the school’s milestone on July 25. The 50th anniversary of the school will be celebrated with a mass and dinner on Sept. 15. The school is led by Principal Mary Charles.
Councilmen Michael Lombardi and Robert Diehl presented the proclamation to Sirianni.
Lombardi said he was married at the church, some of his family went to St. Helena School and he said he had attended a CCD religion program at the school.
“St. Helena is more than just a church, it’s more than just a school, it’s part of this township,” he said. “[The church] offers services to the township kind of like a makeshift community center. You can play bingo three days a week and you have other activities that allow parishioners and non-parishioners to participate.”
Diehl said St. Helena School is a jewel in Edison.
“As an elementary school principal, it’s easy to talk about how important an elementary school is because that is where the foundation is built … it’s so important, it’s where our children are molded,” he said.
Sirianni said the school is open to individuals of all faiths.
“We celebrate our anniversary with the township because you are always here for us,” he said to the council.
Township Clerk Cheryl Russomanno read the proclamation.
“[Over 50 years] there have been additions [to the school], including the library, state-of-the-art technology labs, fully-equipped science labs, music, art, as well as pre-K classes and after-care rooms,” she said.
The proclamation notes the many programs children have participated in and the accomplishments made over 50 years. St. Helena has been the recipient of many awards recognizing its contributions for the poor and needy around the world. It is one of the first schools accredited by the Middle States Accreditation for advance education.
Councilman Alvaro Gomez said celebrating 50 years is quite an honor. Council Vice President Leonard Sendelsky agreed, adding St. Helena School is a vibrant part of the community.
“You have educated many successful people out of your church and school not only on religion, but discipline … those are things missing so much from our society today,” he said.
Councilman Sam Joshi said he has several friends who graduated from St. Helena School, who exemplify the education and quality of the school.
“Fifty years is a long time to have been around and [the milestone] has shown, as a private institution, it’s such an excellent part of the community,” he said.
