A new academic year meant one school opened its doors at a new location for the first time in 50 years.

Cathedral High School began welcoming its students to its 97^th Street premises this week. While it’s not the first time the school has moved since it was founded in 1905, a change of location hasn’t happened in recent memory, not since Cathedral began using its premises on 56^th Street in 1973.

Reaction to the new site was positive, as both faculty and students settled in.

“I was a bit sad because I did like the old building, but I like this building too, so it was an easy adjustment to come here, said Michelle, a junior from the Bronx.

“The first day went really well. Everybody seemed very happy. The vibe was very cozy. It’s comfortable,” said Melanie, also a junior, from Harlem.

“Because the space is more compact, we get to know our students better and faster,” said Priscilla Espinal, who teaches social studies.

The four-story building on 97^th Street is owned by St. Francis de Sales Parish, and formerly occupied by the Marymount School of New York. That school vacated the space Cathedral is now using as it moved into new construction nearby. Taking over an existing school site minimized necessary renovations, said Juliette Picciano, Cathedral’s president.

“The students bring tremendous excitement and energy. They are a reminder to us of why we worked so hard, first to get into this building and to prepare it for them, and it’s nice to have them with us now,” said Juliette Picciano, president of Cathedral High School, who joined the school in May 2022 after nearly seven years working for the Archdiocese of New York, including as director of the Cardinal’s Annual Stewardship Appeal.

Although much of the material in the building such as lab tables was inherited from Marymount, two important Cathedral items were moved: a marble statue of Our Lady, and rows of orange lockers. “Despite our best efforts, the girls won’t let us repaint them,” said Picciano, making them even more obvious in the new building, most of which is decorated in shades of blue.

An all-girl school throughout its history, the ongoing success of Cathedral High School is important in a society where single-sex educational opportunities are diminishing. “[Girls] take center stage here. They see women in leadership roles, and they take on leadership roles. It just becomes the norm,” said Picciano, who graduated from an all-female high school in New Orleans. “An all-girl setting allows them the freedom and the confidence to get to know themselves,” she said.

Picciano expressed her gratitude to Cathedral’s alumnae, hundreds of whom visited the 56^th Street site in August to say farewell. She hopes they will continue to support and pray for Cathedral and its students, even if the new surroundings are unfamiliar.