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BY ERIKA ANDERSON
Staff Writer
ATLANTA--As they usually are on the first day of class, teachers at
archdiocesan schools were busy learning names, going over rules and instructing
students about which school supplies to purchase for the year.
At three new archdiocesan elementary schools, however, the buzz of
excitement was especially evident. The halls smelled of fresh paint and
students’ uniforms were new and crisp as Holy Redeemer School, Alpharetta,
Queen of Angels School, Roswell, and Our Lady of Victory School, Tyrone, opened
their doors Sept. 7 for the first day of school.
The new elementary schools, which serve students in kindergarten through
eighth grade, were constructed as a result of the “Building the Church of
Tomorrow” capital campaign held in the archdiocese in 1997.
Enrollment is at or near capacity for all three schools. Built to serve 500
students each, Holy Redeemer has an opening year enrollment of 474 students,
with one eighth-grade class, and Queen of Angels an opening year enrollment of
479 pupils, with only seventh and eighth grades at less than full capacity.
Enrollment is closed at both schools. Built for 250 students, Our Lady of
Victory currently has 211 pupils and some students are still going through the
school’s admission process.
“We are very proud of the addition of the three new elementary schools
with the excellent physical facilities and outstanding personnel,” said
Sandra Smith, Ph.D., superintendent of Catholic schools.
A visit to the three schools on opening day found, along with the smiles on
their faces, that the faculty and staff at Holy Redeemer wore red carnations, a
gift of the Home and School Association.
“I have never been so happy at a school,” fifth-grade teacher
Linda Pandolfo said. “(Teaching in a new school) is an experience I never
thought I’d have in my career.”
“It’s really exciting,” she said. “It’s a wonderful
school with a wonderful staff and a wonderful principal and the rooms are
fabulous.”
Pandolfo was not the only faculty member thrilled by the new school and
Principal Mary Reiling. Bonnie Hobbs, who teaches the gifted, also praised the
principal.
“She’s not only a wonderful person but very competent,” she
said. “She’s incredible.”
Reiling, on the other hand, was quick to commend the school’s staff and
said it was their dedication that helped the first day to run so smoothly.
“The faculty already feels like a family,” she said. “They
are just amazing. I’m very lucky to have a staff that is able to see that
connection between the learning process and the child. It’s more than what
you dream.”
Reiling said that 74 percent of Holy Redeemer students come from public
schools and because of that, the enthusiasm and support of the parents has been
overwhelming.
“The families are so overjoyed and we’ve had such a tremendous
response for help,” she said. “… People have given endless hours
to make this a reality.”
Dressed in red and green plaid uniforms, many of the students were eager to
start their first day of school.
In Mrs. Hastings’ and Mrs. Brodhag’s first grade, students raised
their hands to contribute to the class rules. Nearby, kindergartners wore
nametags in an effort to help their teachers put names with faces.
Fifth-graders were already learning how to keep their backs straight and their
chests out as they sang along with music from “The Prince of Egypt,”
in Mrs. Grubbs’ music class.
In the sixth grade, Justin Reilly, who spent his summer playing baseball,
said he was ready for school to start and, although he was a little nervous, he
was glad to be in a new school.
“I think it’s a great school because of all the new facilities and
teachers,” he said.
Accustomed to being a new student, Reilly, who has moved seven times, spent
last year at Our Lady of the Assumption School in Atlanta. He said that this
was the easiest transition for him because “everybody’s new.”
Maria Horne, an eighth-grader at Holy Redeemer, has been in public schools
since kindergarten and said that she doesn’t mind wearing a uniform
because it “saves time in the mornings.” She also likes the size of
her new school.
“It’s a lot smaller and the teachers are nicer, it seems,”
she said.
Megan Christopher, also an eighth-grader, said that she is most looking
forward to the science labs and is excited to be in a brand new school.
“I think it’s neat that we are the first eighth grade ever and
that we’ll be the first graduating class.”
In nearby Roswell, Sister Patricia Clune, CSJ, principal at Queen of Angels
School, was amazed by how well the first day was going.
“Thank you, Jesus, for small favors,” she said. “I think (the
students) feel at home already.”
In the hallways, signs printed on brightly colored computer paper pointed
students to their classrooms. Outside, the hot sun shone on the second-graders
as they played on a blue, red and yellow jungle gym. Later, as second-grade
teacher Mary Wethern ushered her flushed-faced students in from the playground
to the water fountain, she said that she was ready for the year to get
underway.
“Today has been awesome,” she said. “This is a sweet, sweet
class.”
Wethern, who has three children who attend Queen of Angels School, said that
it has been “great bonding with the other teachers” and that the
school is what she had hoped for.
“We’ve had so much encouragement from the parents,” she said.
“It’s also encouraging seeing all these positive little faces.”
Wethern said she is most looking forward to seeing progress in her students.
“I think with parent cooperation and support and all the technology and
resources we have, I feel confident we’ll be able to accomplish all our
goals.”
Ian Harrison, an eighth-grader at Queen of Angels, said he spent most of his
summer playing soccer and was ready to start school.
“I’ve always wanted to go to a new school,” he said.
“I’m really just looking forward to having a good time and getting
good grades. I’m also looking forward to meeting new people and making new
friends.”
According to Sister Clune, all classes had get-togethers before the first
day of school so students could meet each other. Seventh-grade student
Charlotte Kilroy was glad to meet her classmates at a pool party before school
started.
“I was ready for school to start. I wanted homework,” she said.
“For the past two and a half weeks, I’ve been sitting home bored
because all my friends are already in school.”
Kilroy, who attended Dickerson Middle School in Marietta last year, said
attending the Catholic school is “not that different.”
“The people seem a lot nicer than in public school,” she said.
“There are also a lot less people in each class.”
As Sister Clune walked through the halls of the school, she was quick to
point out that, although everything was going well, Queen of Angels is still a
work in progress.
“It’s an ongoing process,” she said. “There are lots of
things we still want to increase and expand upon and we’re going to
continue to improve.”
Sister Clune credits her staff as being “enthusiastic, positive and
really prepared,” and said that because of them, the first day of school
was better than she “could have ever dreamed.”
“People really came in, rolled up their sleeves and went to town.”
Sister Clune talked about her goals for the school’s future.
“We want students to feel safe, welcomed, challenged and cared for.
We’re here for the children,” she said. “I want parents to say,
‘I’m happy that I made that sacrifice to put my child at Queen of
Angels.’”
On the south side of Atlanta, Our Lady of Victory School Principal Nanci
Pearson also has high expectations for the future of her school. As she stood
in the front office, surrounded by flowers and balloons from well-wishers to
celebrate the first day of school, Pearson remarked on the bonds that are
forming within the Our Lady of Victory community.
“The beauty of what was occurring this morning was that you truly saw
the shapings of this community,” she said. “For the first time we had
parents, students and faculty together in the new building.”
“There were no tears even in kindergarten,” she continued.
“There was true joy in being here. The children were just filled with
excitement.”
Although the day was going smoothly at Our Lady of Victory, Pearson said
that there were some glitches.
“We have had some unforeseen and unfortunate delays in construction and
that has caused some repercussions in our program,” she said.
Our Lady of Victory was about a month behind schedule, Pearson said.
Students were not able to use the gym on the first day because the floor was
not dry and getting carpools together was difficult since the school had not
held an open house.
“What has allowed us to open has really been the faculty and staff
commitment,” she said. “They have put in 12- to 14-hour days. Without
their dedication, the building wouldn’t be in the shape that it is.”
Pearson is also grateful for the parents of Our Lady of Victory students.
“The parents have been very patient, sensitive and understanding,”
she said. “They know that all we can do is deal with (the construction
delays) the best we can. Their support has not wavered at all.”
Dennis Kelly of Catholic Construction Services, which has oversight over
construction projects at parishes and schools of the archdiocese, said Sept. 13
that “the school is now fully operational.”
“It was a little closer to the wire than we would have hoped for, but
we made it,” he said. “Currently we are just putting the finishing
touches on everything.”
Students at Our Lady of Victory were not the only ones with first-day
jitters.
Pearson said that she woke up at 3 a.m. opening day “nervous, anxious,
but with a sense of tremendous eagerness.”
“Seeing how smoothly things are running, though, really gives you a
sense of calm and peace,” she said.
Chris Kennedy, who teaches science to the sixth, seventh and eighth grades,
said that he is excited about the upcoming year and the chance to try new
experiments with his classes.
“The kids, on the average, seem to be really bright,” he said.
“They’re anxious and excited and that’s really motivating for
me.”
Kennedy spent the majority of the first day going over lab safety and
teaching the students how to use the microscopes. Teaching for the first time
in a Catholic school, Kennedy said that he feels strongly about the need for
prayer in school and said he plans to start each class with a prayer.
“It’s relaxing for the kids,” he said. “Prayer really
eases tension.”
Taylor Schlosser, a sixth-grader at Our Lady of Victory, couldn’t wait
to talk about her first day of school.
“I was so excited that I didn’t get to sleep until midnight last
night, but it was so cool,” she said. “… Even the homework seems
fun. I can’t wait to get a locker. I’ve never had a locker
before.”
Both seventh-grader Patrick O’Connor and his sister, Katie, a
sixth-grader, have been home-schooled for the past two years.
“This is really exciting for me,” Katie said. “I really like
having everything brand new.”
Patrick admitted he was a little nervous on the way to school.
“I had butterflies coming over, but after my first class, I knew the
teachers were really cool and they like to have a lot of fun.”
Pearson hopes that the students continue to have fun at school and that they
feel “joy and excitement” when coming to Our Lady of Victory each
day.
“I want this to truly be a community that encourages respect for one
another,” she said. “I want this to be a caring environment that
teaches children to serve others, where children are intellectually engaged in
all ways. I also want the faculty to have the opportunity to grow as educators.
That’s a tremendous amount to accomplish in a year, but I truly believe we
can do it.”
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