By Sarah Czyzewski

With all the issues surrounding the district and its economic condition, it’s hard to see the silver lining amongst this dark and dreary cloud. Truth is, Galway is a great place to live. Located within the center of a plethora of great things, this tight knit community has a lot to offer, and has even more opportunities to grow and flourish.

                It has been stated before that location is everything. Being part of the Adirondacks, this upstate New York town has the atmosphere of a peaceful and quiet rural heaven. Although the area is not total farmland, fresh farms and cornfields are prevalent, and only add to the organic setting of the area. Not to mention Galway Lake, that never fails to draw attention over the long hot Adirondack summers. The small town of Galway is also positioned between two great cities, which have been positively discussed in the recent publication of The Life Between Two Cities, a book that Galway High School students wrote and published themselves. East of us, the great city and county of Saratoga, has so much to offer. An urban area, a taste of the big city, offers lavish shops, historical parks, and of course, the Raceway. And to the west of us, we have the city of Amsterdam. Here among other things, we find conveniently located grocery shops, drug stores, movie theatre, bowling alley, and a variety of restaurants to choose from. Separate from these two areas, Galway is also located within an hour’s reach of other great areas such as Albany, the state’s capital, and the Lake George area which always has much to offer. Around here, there’s a place for everyone.

                As if location wasn’t enough, Galway itself has a lot to offer. In this small town we have a local doctor’s office, fire department, ambulance corp., small hardware store, funeral home, several small scale convenient/ grocery stores, and also a variety of restaurants that are popular amongst the community. There is also a community park located at the center of the town, which hosts a variety of activities such as a Fourth of July celebration, craft fairs, and also serves as an area for different musical artists to perform.

                But possibly the most important part of the Galway community is the school district. Being such a small community, the school is one of the largest geographically speaking, around 120 square miles. With a professional staff of approximately 110 people, the curriculum offered is comprehensively beneficial to the students. The class sizes are small, averaging at about 20 students per class, and with a determined slogan of “No Student Left Behind,” the school has a special commitment to include and assist special education students. However, with such small class sizes, teachers are able to focus upon each student individually to develop a relationship that will help to accomplish much more success educationally. The courses offered at Galway offer much variety by providing the students with opportunities for different languages such as French and Spanish, music classes, including music theory and chorus, distance learning classes in almost all subjects, and also AP classes in math, english, and history.  

                Although the community of Galway seems to be slipping, it is only because people are choosing to negatively view the changes that are occurring. Galway is still an amazing area that has so much to offer and is such a great place to live and raise a family. Born and raised in Galway, I can say from personal experience that my life here in this small town has allowed me to use the love and great company to gain the everyday values that will help me to be successful anywhere I choose to go from here. The community of Galway is a great place to be, and I would recommend this area to anyone who is looking for the love, support, and qualities of a close knit, small town area.