FLUSHING — St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy (SAACA) is on a roll, having once again been crowned “Best Catholic School” in the annual Best of the Boro contest.
The contest, now in its 13th year, awards businesses for outstanding customer service. The organization also has an education category in which SAACA is now a five-time winner. This year and last, the academy won Best Catholic School; in 2023 and 2022, it won Best Parochial School; and in 2020, it was named Best Private School.
Principal Debora Hanna said the honors are especially significant because they are awarded via public vote. Sure, parents and alumni cast ballots, but so do people from all over Queens, she said.
“Our test scores are great, and I’m going to say my kids are great,” Hanna said.
“Maybe every principal says that about their kids, but the academics here are strong,” she added. “We graduate eighth graders who actually come back and tell us that high school was easier than St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy.”
Hanna began teaching at the school in 1985 and is now in her 21st year as principal. Her own children attended the school, as did the family of board member Lynn Scott, who handles SAACA’s social media, website development, and marketing.
“The school is phenomenal,” Scott said. “It’s a hidden gem, and we’d like for our community to recognize that and notice it.”
Hanna said the faculty and staff set the tone for academic excellence and community.
“The beauty is that we are so welcoming,” Hanna said. “And it’s not only the nursery and pre-K kids that love to hug, but all of our kids truly embrace each other, and they embrace their teachers.”
Father Greg McIlhenney, pastor of St. Andrew Avellino Parish, said the Best of the Boro recognition attests to the quality of Catholic education throughout the diocese. Still, he has no problem proclaiming the news about his parish’s school.
“It’s the community recognizing that we do it the best,” Father McIlhenney said. “I’m very proud of that, and we’re going to beat our chest a little bit.”
