Surprises awaited students — early childhood to eighth grade — as they climbed the stairs into Incarnation Catholic Academy on Sept. 4 — the first day of classes for the new academic year. Greeting them in the hallway was their new principal, Dr. Ivan Green, along with Father Josephjude Gannon, the school’s board chairman, and Bishop Robert Brennan.
The start of the new school year for St. Mel’s Catholic Academy in Whitestone was not just the first day of studies but the continued expansion of academics with the addition of a new fifth-grade class.
The sound of giddy laughter and the sight of colorful face masks filled schoolyards, hallways, and classrooms as schools across the Diocese of Brooklyn reopened Sept. 8 for the first day of the 2021-22 academic year.
The Superintendent’s Office of the Diocese of Brooklyn is “cautiously optimistic” that Catholic school enrollments across Brooklyn and Queens will rise this school year, a promising reversal after 10 years of declines.
After physically closing campuses five months ago due to the coronavirus outbreak, some local Catholic colleges and universities reopened for the first time during the week of Aug. 24. The schools welcomed new and returning students back for move-in days, orientation events, and the highly anticipated first day of classes.
As we enter into a new school year, we are edified by the work done by our Catholic schools and academies; With the passing of Brother Ralph Darmento, FSC, the Diocese as a whole mourns the loss of a man who was dedicated to Catholic education.
Understandably, many parents are worried about sending their kids back to school. Teachers are also concerned. Should schools reopen? Is it safe?
The early morning chaos and activity-packed evenings of the back-to-school season can make finding time to connect challenging. Throughout the day, there can be small windows of time that your family can make the most of – even if only for a few moments that matter.
The school, which opened its 2019-20 academic year on Sept. 4, is encouraging its students to say “hello” to their classmates and to be especially welcoming to new kids at the school. It’s part of the national “Start With Hello” initiative to show students that kindness truly matters.
Embedded into the fabric of the Catholic school experience is the traditional uniform. Some families in the Diocese of Brooklyn head to the Flynn O’ Hara store in Middle Village every year to purchase their uniforms.
