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History

To accommodate the rapid growth in Tonawanda , Saint Andrew's Parish was established in 1944 by Bishop John Duffy with Rev. Msgr. James Donovan as pastor. The first church/school building was completed in 1949 when classes for grades one through four began .Sister Mary Venard, SSMN, presided over the new parish-school that expanded to include grades five through eight in 1959.Originally housing 16 classrooms and a cafeteria, the school expanded under the guidance of Msgr. Joseph E. Scheider to include the Msgr. Donovan Center, containing a double gymnasium, and McNulty Auditorium. Eventually, a Science laboratory, a library, a Cultural Arts Room, two classroom wings, a Reading Resource Center and a computer room were added.

The Felician Sisters began their ministry at the school in 1967, when two sisters joined the faculty of ten sisters of St. Mary of Namur , and twelve lay teachers to serve 829 pupils enrolled at the time. The sisters of St. Mary of Namur withdrew from the administration of the school in 1972. At the invitation of Rev. Joseph E. Schieder, the Felician Sisters assumed the administration of the school. Sister Mary Edmundine Adamczak was the first Felician Principal. The Sisters of St. Mary of Namur continued to be a part of teaching staff until 1977.

A Montessori school was established in 1973. An absolute private charter under the board of regents of the State of New York was granted on June 27, 1975 and we became known as St. Andrew's Country Day School , serving Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and Grades One through Eight. Msgr. Joseph Schieder was instrumental in obtaining the new name "Country Day" that came from the idea of English System of Education. The English form of education focused on the dignity of child -to educate the whole child -intellect, soul, body and emotions.

St. Andrew's Country Day School pioneered innovations in teaching excellence with: the introduction of Montessori Method, closed circuit classroom television, foreign language classes, a reading clinic and a physical education program that includes an extra-curricular program.

Rev. Msgr. Richard Graeber became new pastor in 1976.

As the years progressed there arose a need for all-day Kindergarten program .Thus in 1987, three all day Kindergarten classes were established. With all the innovative programs already established, Sister Mary Kevin Szulega saw the need to work toward Middle States Accreditation and worked with the faculty on Self-Study. The Evaluation Team of Middle States Association came in the fall in 1988 and our action plan was forwarded and accepted .We officially received our Middle States Accreditation on April 21, 1989 and Re-Accreditation in 1999.

Rev. Charles Slisz was appointed pastor upon retirement of Rev. Msgr. Graeber in 1998. In 1999, Mr.Eric Roy, the first lay principal of St. Andrew's Country Day School was appointed.

Today under the guidance of Mr. Dennis Welka, St. Andrew's Country Day School 's enrollment is over 375 students coming from varied backgrounds and outlying areas. St. Andrew's Country Day School is continually working to update our programs to meet the New York Stated Standards and our Diocesan Curriculum so as to prepare ourselves for 21st Century .The most recent updates include the installation of internet accessibility and networking capabilities to all classrooms. Outfitting each classroom with SmartBoards has been a top priority and at the present time we have successfully completed the first phase of a three year project.

St. Andrew's Country Day School has thrust itself into the forefront of advanced thechniques in the delivery of education to our children with its involvement in The Renaissance Project.  Thanks to an initial start up grant from the M & T Bank, we have been able to instruct our faculty in the style and techniques of the Modern Socratic Method.