On Thursday, September 5, about 50,000 students returned to the 156 schools within the Archdiocese of New York, full of hope and, for the most part, happy to be back in school. 

Immaculate Conception School

Balloons, an outdoor photo wall, and teachers greeting families welcomed students to the new year at the oldest Catholic school in the Bronx, Immaculate Conception School, which opened in 1854.

Principal Morris Johnson is entering his second year at Immaculate Conception, which serves approximately 374 students in the “ICS family,” the way he tries to view the school community. Walking through the halls, he greeted numerous students by name, and they returned his warmth with fist bumps and even hugs.

Among the faculty returning in 2024 are three members of the Sisters of Christian Charity. They teach at the school, as members of their order have since they first arrived in the United States in 1874.

Both Johnson and his students had clear goals for the 2024-25 academic year. Last year was “a year of assessment and cultural maintenance,” one on which the Baltimore native hopes to build, he told The Good Newsroom in an interview. 

Four members of the school’s Eagle Circle share that vision, named for Immaculate Conception’s team symbol. Johnson described the group as an “in-house leadership council, built around character.” Teachers nominate students for Eagle Circle, and each month, new members may be inducted. They perform tasks such as a student-led tribunal, to deal with minor disciplinary infractions such as chronic tardiness. “The kids are accountable to each other, and to adults,” Johnson said of the concept. This year, Eagle Circle members will get their own hangout space, The Eagle’s Nest, perched in a currently unused area above the school’s gymnasium.

Eagle Circle member London, 12, said she was “happy to be back to this school,” which she has attended for nine years. The eighth-grader’s sights are set on getting good grades and looking at high schools for next year.

Jaden, also an Eagle Circle member, 13, told The Good Newsroom that he was happy to be back among his friends and that he wants to be “better than before,” both academically and in the three sports he most enjoys: basketball, soccer, and football.

Our Lady of Angels School

Our Lady Queen of Angels (OLQA) School in Harlem got the new school year started right by easing students in and cultivating a family environment throughout the community. 

The school has prioritized faith-based learning that can be seen on bulletin boards throughout the halls of the school and has a strong faculty presence reinforcing Catholic values. 

The students made it clear that they were excited to be a part of the OLQA community, and their enthusiasm to start making friends in the new school year was infectious. 

The ’24-’25 school year looks like it has bright days ahead for OLQA, with Mr. James Sayer as principal and Ms. Dobrina Carrara as director of school operations.

St. Charles Borromeo School

In Harlem on West 142nd Street, teachers, administrators, and support staff at St. Charles Borromeo School welcomed new and returning students to start the academic year.

“It was amazing; there was excitement and smiling faces. It was great,” the school principal, Natalia Rodrigo, told The Good Newsroom during an interview in her office Thursday morning. “It’s the first day of school, so it’s a half-day dismissal. The common theme was that they had an amazing summer. Even the teachers were smiling.”

Rodrigo added that what makes St. Charles Borromeo School special is a great sense of community. “It’s a family; we are currently serving 466 students (PreK 3-8). We have students who have parents who went to school here, and grandparents who went to school here. And we have teachers who were students here. … St. Charles is family and community. It’s a staple; everyone knows St. Charles,” she noted. “We have a lot of community events and parent engagement. And we tell the students, ‘God is in each and every one of you.'”

Narlan Reme, 12, an eighth grader at St. Charles Borromeo, said he felt “both nervous and excited to start the school year. I like the opportunities that they give to everyone; they have many clubs here.” He said his favorite subject is math, and volleyball is his favorite gym class activity. He hopes to work in computer science.

Chayce Smith-Lauria, 13, also in eighth grade at St. Charles Borromeo, said, “I felt excited to see new students and make new friends.” She said her favorite subject is English language arts, and volleyball is her favorite gym class activity. She’s an aspiring actress.

Tricia Toscano, who teaches kindergarten at St. Charles Borromeo, said the first day “was excellent; it was a lot of fun seeing new faces and familiar faces. It was very nice. … It’s definitely like a family; this is my second family.”

Shameika Freeman, who teaches sixth grade at St. Charles Borromeo and is also the academic dean, said with a smile, “I’ve been up since 4 a.m. I was super excited. It was like Christmas Eve.” Freeman taught Reme and Smith-Lauria when they were in kindergarten.

“It was an amazing first day; my (twin) children have been at St. Charles since they were two years old – they started in the 3-K; their birthday is in December, so they’re always like the youngest kids in their class; they were very excited today. All of their friends are St. Charles students,” said Lakisha Robinson, a parent who heads the St. Charles Borromeo Home School Association (parent/teacher group). Robinson said she very much appreciates the faith-based, special sense of community at the school. She has two children at St. Charles Borromeo School – boy and girl twins, age seven in the third grade.

St. Charles Borromeo School, established in 1904, has enrichment programs that include dance, music, basketball, and volleyball. The graduating class of 2024 secured nearly $1.5 million in scholarships and financial aid to their chosen high schools as part of their high school placement program. The parish community is called the Parish of St. Charles Borromeo, Resurrection, and All Saints. Father Willem Klaver is the pastor.