Alexandria Living Magazine
Principal Daniel Cinalli outside the Basilica School of St. Mary in Alexandria.
Not only is the Basilica School of Saint Mary celebrating its 150-year anniversary, but in July the Very Reverend Father Hathaway, the parish and school welcomed a new principal, Daniel Cinalli. In addition, the school is kicking off a campaign to build a large addition that will update and connect the school in several ways.
Cinalli was raised in Northern Virginia and is the product of Catholic education. He earned his Master’s degree in Education Administration from Marymount University and has spent his career working in local Diocese of Arlington Catholic schools. His passion for Saint Mary’s rich legacy and future plans is clear — and despite a student population of more than 700, he greets students by name walking around the school’s campus.
Saint Mary’s was originally founded in 1869 and was located at the same site as Saint Mary’s Catholic Church (named a Basilica in 2018) on Royal Street between Duke and Wolfe streets. The first class was comprised of 20 girls and 20 boys. At the time, Royal Street would be shut down to allow the children to play.
The school grew quickly as the flow of years brought new waves of Catholic residents to the Alexandria area.
Alexandria Living Magazine
The Basilica School of Saint Mary educates more than 700 local students.
In 1950, the school’s current building on Green Street at the end of South Pitt Street opened its doors for 500 students. Expansion continued in 1997 with the conversion of a former convent, Stephens Hall, which became the school’s building for 7th-8th graders and eventually 6th graders in 2011.
The school has continued to grow — more than 700 students now attend Saint Mary’s, and many of the classes from pre-K through 8th grade have waiting lists.
The school’s motto, painted on every classroom door, is “Saints, Stewards, Scholars.” Enrollment Coordinator Sarah Christie explained that students are encouraged to live out these characteristics in that order. Students take religion classes and opportunities for confession and prayer are offered throughout the day. They also attend Mass weekly and there is a strong relationship between the parish and the school.
Students are taught to be good stewards of their community, the environment, and themselves. This is facilitated through service projects, cross-grade interaction, and extracurricular activities. The school has a robust sports program sponsored by the Catholic Youth Organization. Due to the popularity of the drama program, performances must be held in a larger auditorium at nearby Bishop Ireton High School.
Within the Arlington Diocese, the school is a leader in both standard academics and differentiated learning. The school has incorporated iPads at all grade levels to facilitate interactive learning. Classrooms have a variety of sensory seating options like swivel stools, exercise balls, and stand up desks. Students begin learning Spanish in pre-K, which has led to many testing out of Spanish in their first year of high school.
The school has been celebrating its 150th anniversary throughout the year. Staff have been teaching students about the anniversary by focusing on local, national, and global events by decade. Students are learning through essays, art projects, skits and presentations. The celebration will culminate in a variety of events the weekend of October 18 – 20, including an alumni reunion on Friday, a birthday bash and spaghetti dinner on Saturday, and Mass and breakfast on Sunday.
A New Addition to the Community
The renovation and expansion process has multiple goals, which the school will outline for alumni and the current school community at Saturday’s dinner.
One goal is to bring the school into the 21st century by updating the school’s library, media, and technology. This will be accomplished by building an 8,000-square foot addition to that will connect the elementary and middle school buildings.
The addition will house a state of the art library media center. The outside area of the school will be transformed to improve campus safety and provide better recreational space for students.
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Basilica School of Saint Mary
A birds-eye view of the addition and planned improvements to the campus.
Basilica School of Saint Mary
A 'connector' building will house a new multimedia center, learning space and more.
Basilica School of Saint Mary
A planned new fence along South Royal Street is a part of the renovation plans at the school.
The plan is to streamline the school pick-up process, which many parents and south Old Town resident knows can be a logistical challenge. Safety will be improved by renovation of the school entry area to provide a formal reception and check-in desk and an additional separation between visitors and direct access to the main school area. Finally, the school will expand its programs for children with varying learning needs by giving them their own classroom space with specially trained teachers. Improvements to school accessibility for students in wheel chairs and older visitors are part of the plans, as well.
The Basillica School of Saint Mary has much to look forward to in its future. Under Father Hathaway and Principal Cinalli’s enthusiastic leadership, the school will be on the cutting edge of education while still celebrating its strong partnership with the parish. If reflection on the past and present indicates anything, it is that the school will continue to develop exceptional “Saints, Stewards, and Scholars” for the next 150 years.
