PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Ten Catholic academies in the Diocese of Brooklyn have new principals at the helm this school year. The Tablet spoke with these new leaders to find out what their goals are and how they plan to advance their academies into the future.
The game of chess will become part of the math curriculum for second and third graders this semester at St. Bernard Catholic Academy in Bergen Beach, now that Melissa Wagner is the principal.
Wagner is introducing a 10- week program in which experts come into the classrooms to teach students how to play chess. “I’ve always thought it would be interesting for young people to learn to do this because it would be helpful with concentration and critical thinking,” she explained. “I’m really excited about it, because it will give the students a different way to think about math.”
Wagner also plans to improve communications with parents. “Each Monday, I would send out just a message with a little bit of a calendar and some reminders of what’s going on,” she said.
Parents will be invited into the academy regularly, Wagner added.
“When the students do some sort of project-based learning experience, we would invite the parents in to come and see the project that the kids worked on in school,” she said.
Wagner, who is also the faith formation director at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church, is no stranger to the academy, having started her career there in 1994 as a teacher’s assistant.
Antonella Bove, the new principal of Holy Child Jesus Catholic Academy in Richmond Hill, has served as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal in the New York City public school system, as well as a mentor to educators.
However, she began her career as a Catholic school teacher and said she is happy to return to faith-based education.
Bove is also an artist who loves to paint and hopes to instill a love of the arts in the students. “I would love to bring in paint with canvases and have the students express themselves in various working areas,” she said.
In her view, art isn’t a leisurely activity but a vital educational tool with the potential to unlock a child’s mind.
“I really feel that art should be integrated, and we should work on an interdisciplinary curriculum where the students have the opportunity to not only express and to learn through their different learning styles, but to definitely explore the arts,” she said.
Adrienne Terzuoli isn’t planning on any immediate changes now that she is principal of St. Margaret Catholic Academy in Middle Village. Instead, she plans to spend time observing her new school before making any decisions.
“I think that in any administration position, observation is going to be your best friend and your biggest asset, especially at the job,” she said. I can’t say I won’t make changes, but right now, that’s not my first priority.”
One of Terzuoli’s main focuses will be on teaching students to be responsible people who hold themselves accountable. “And it’s never too early to teach a student to be a productive member of whatever community you’re a part of, even something small like how to hang your backpack up,” she explained. “For the little ones, it’s how to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ Then for the eighth graders, it’s knowing how to [carry] yourself, how to write a proper essay.” “It’s never too early to teach these soft skills that I think are often forgotten,” Terzuoli added.
Before St. Margaret Catholic Academy, she worked in higher education as a journalism lecturer at Stony Brook University and an adjunct professor of journalism at Wagner College. She also taught culinary arts in the New York City public school system.
Craig Mercado has many plans for St. Elizabeth Catholic Academy in Ozone Park, where he is settling in as the new principal.
His plans include getting a 3-D printer operational, establishing a drama club, incorporating Latin and Greek studies into the curriculum, and establishing a new science lab.
He is particularly excited about the 3-D printer. “Hopefully it’ll be up and running by late September, where we have the classes going in and really exploring that space,” Mercado said, adding that the goal isn’t just to print items, but to better prepare students for high school. “This gives them sort of a groundwork on how to use these materials,” he added. “They can really hit the ground running with those labs they have in high school.”
Mercado, who earned a degree in political science from the College of Staten Island, changed course and decided to pursue a career in education.
He became a teacher at Holy Name Catholic School in Prospect Heights, which was later renamed St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Academy. While at St. Joseph the Worker, he earned a master’s degree in administration from Fordham University and served as principal at St. Ephrem Catholic Academy for six years.
He moved to public education, helping to establish a charter school in Long Island, before returning to Catholic education by taking the helm at St. Elizabeth’s.
Providing students with a deeper understanding of their Catholic identity is a top priority for Tara Di Rico, the new principal of St. Helen Catholic Academy in Howard Beach.
“We’re looking to definitely promote more Catholic identity,” she said. “We’re looking to do a project like a wax museum where students would be a saint.” The wax museum is only one aspect of her plans.
Under Di Rico’s watch, saints will become part of school life in other ways. “We’re looking at, instead of doing a Student of the Month, doing a Character Trait of the Month that reflects a saint,” she explained. “We would have a saint of the month, and then a child would get an award for exhibiting one of the saintly traits.”
Howard Beach is “a strong community that is unique and beautiful,” said Di Rico, adding that the community is supportive of St. Helen Catholic Academy. “
There’s a lot of rich history in the neighborhood directly correlated with our school,” she said. “We have people whose grandparents came here and then their parents came here, and now the student who is the grandchild comes here.”
Before becoming principal, Di Rico taught at St. Helen Catholic Academy. Before that, she was a teacher at St. Mathias Catholic Academy in Ridgewood.
“I believe in Catholic education,” she said.
Students at St. Athanasius Catholic Academy will get the chance to take part in activities like yoga, dance, volleyball, crocheting, and arts and crafts, thanks to enrichment clubs that new principal Gina Auricchio is planning for them.
Auricchio, who served as assistant principal at St. Athanasius before moving into the principal’s role, said she believes that allowing children to pursue their interests helps them academically.
“It will allow them to explore interests, develop their new skills, grow in creativity, increase their teamwork and confidence,” she explained. It will help children in the long term, Auricchio added.
“We want them to build interactive skills, collaboration skills, which would help them lifelong,” she said. “It’s a lifelong skill to be able to work together and analyze things and come up with solutions.”
Auricchio also plans to upgrade the academy’s STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) lab and raise money to purchase instruments for the music program.
Auricchio enjoys longtime ties to both St. Athanasius Catholic Academy and St. Athanasius Church, located across the street from the school.Both of her children are St. Athanasius graduates, and she has been a church parishioner for 30 years.
“The school and church are my passions,” she said.
Maysa Antonio has experience as an educator in both the public and Catholic school systems and is excited to be at Brooklyn Jesuit Prep in Flatbush.
Brooklyn Jesuit Prep, a middle school catering to students from low-income families, offers extended school hours, a summertime leadership camp, and has an office that assists graduates who are struggling in high school.
“I am very attracted to the mission here, the extended times and the camp, and the graduate support,” Antonio said. “I thought that it was fantastic, and it definitely made a difference in deciding that I wanted to come here.”
She doesn’t plan any significant changes, at least not at first. “My idea is to first learn more about the culture and the school itself before I come up with any big programs,” she explained.
Antonio, who holds an engineering degree from Syracuse University and a master’s degree in finance from the University of Rochester, decided to go into education and has taught at St. Joseph High School and Hunter College High School, both in Manhattan.
Keri Wade-Donohue, the new principal of Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy in Astoria, said she plans to introduce new initiatives and curriculum enhancements to nurture students’ minds and spirits.
Wade-Donohue, who served as assistant principal at Immaculate Conception before being named principal, said she is eager to introduce faith-based programs like the Junior Ladies of Charity and Columbian Squires to Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy.
“We are building a service-learning program here to strengthen their faith and encourage them to see the importance of helping those who are less fortunate,” she said.
Wade-Donohue has set her sights on streamlining the math, science, and English as a second language curricula. She also plans to start a drama program and establish partnerships with local high schools and colleges.
Looking outside the walls of the academy to enhance the education of her students is something Wade-Donohue said she strongly believes in. “I’m looking forward to partnering with parents and other members of the community so that we can get the most out of our institution here, so that we can all grow together,” she explained.
Deanna Maynard plans to introduce more faith-based elements in her role as principal of St. Clare Catholic Academy in Rosedale.
Her plans include incorporating religious news in the daily school announcements and having the students attend Mass at St. Clare Church at least once a month.
“I have a very good working relationship with Father Daniel Kingsley, our pastor. We already had plans to go back to Mass once a month,” she said, adding that she wants to work in partnership with the pastor. “I would like to have him visit the school more often, maybe lead the children in morning prayers,” she said. “Just his physical appearance in our school will be great for our students.”
Maynard has been at St. Clare since 1998, serving as a teacher and director of St. Clare’s early childhood education program before she was named principal this year.
“One of the biggest reasons why, when the opportunity did come up to become principal, I did agree to take the position because this school is my home away from home,” she said.
Sharon Swift, the new principal of St. Nicholas of Tolentine Catholic Academy in Jamaica, has continuously operated with a simple motto in her long career as an educator: “Every child needs to be known, every teacher needs to be valued, and every day counts.”
To implement the ideals of her motto, Swift plans to ensure that class sizes are small so that children can receive as individualized attention as possible. She will also seek to establish programs designed to engage them.
“Kids thrive when they’re engaged. That’s my starting point, … making it a lively, active, thriving school where the kids have fun and the community feels they are a part of things,” she explained.
St. Nicholas of Tolentine has several new, young teachers, and to give them the tools they need, Swift will introduce a mentorship program, “so the more seasoned teachers will be mentoring the new teachers.”
Swift, who came to St. Nicholas of Tolentine from her previous post as principal of St. Margaret Catholic Academy in Middle Village, has more than a dozen years of experience in education.
For nine years, she worked at schools in the neighboring Diocese of Rockville Centre. “Catholic education is in my blood,” she said.
Welcome Adrienne Terzuoli, the new principal of St. Margaret Catholic Academy!