Author Archives: David Perritano

All the Right Moves: Claire Jacob-Zysman Joins AHN as Counselor, Dance Instructor

Claire Jacob-Zysman is a new addition to Academy of the Holy Names, and she arrives as a dual-threat: she’s AHN’s new School Counselor, and beginning in the fall, she’ll be teaching dance. 

“I have been dancing since I was seven years old. I studied dance in college and moved on to dance professionally after college. During that time, I fell in love with teaching dance and spreading the joy, creativity, and discipline of dance to students. My dance teaching philosophy is that everyone is a dancer, and that dance can be used as a tool to build self-confidence, create connections, and be an outlet for self-expression. I use dance to empower the students to feel confident in their moving bodies and to express their emotions through the art of dance.” 

Steven Graubart Named New Chief Financial Officer at Academy of the Holy Names

(Albany) – April 19, 2024. Dr. Martin Kilbridge, President of Academy of the Holy Names, announced today the appointment of Steven Graubart as Chief Financial Officer. “I am delighted to welcome Mr. Graubart to the Holy Names community.” Dr. Kilbridge said. “He has the experience to continue to provide sound fiscal oversight for Holy Names and to secure…

For Spiro, There’s No Place Like Holy Names

The Mount Rushmore of beloved figures at Holy Names is so extensive, you’d need more than one range to include them all. This year’s recipient of the John H. Farrell “Building the Future” Award is surely among them. Helen Caulfield Spiro ’78 is a Holy Names legacy. Her mother is an alumna. So are her…

Strategic Planning Update

Holy Names is seeing tremendous growth. After an admissions cycle that saw a 13% enrollment increase this year, we are on target to see another year of double digit growth. Managing our growth and preparing for the future make our strategic planning initiative all the more important. We need to look to a future that preserves what makes Holy Names special.

Holy Names Education Offers Perfect Prescription for Tackes

Going straight from high school to pharmacy school can be a bit jarring, but not for Dr. Courtney Caimano Tackes ’08. She says she was well-prepared thanks to her Holy Names education. “Many students struggle academically when they first start this program, but I had already taken rigorous classes at AHN and developed great study…

Albany Business Review: Holy Names plans for further growth as its enrollment expands

Martin Kilbridge sees single-sex education as both a successful way to teach students and as a selling point to families.

Kilbridge has been in private education for close to 30 years as a teacher, principal and now as president of Academy of the Holy Names in Albany.

The school, now in its 140th year, faces the same financial and demographic pressures other private schools in the region do. Read more here.

The Evangelist: “Future Leaders”

The Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is helping to build the next generation of healthcare workers — and Albany’s Catholic schools are here to help. Read more.

Academy of the Holy Names Launches First Student-Run Broadcast Studio

Dr. Martin Kilbridge, President of Academy of the Holy Names, announced today the launch of AHN’s first student-run broadcast studio: WAHN PantherVision. Housed in the library, the studio, run by members of the school’s Communications Club, broadcasts morning announcements.