by Katie Vasquez
For students across the Diocese of Brooklyn, many walked into the first day of school full of anticipation on Wednesday, Sept. 4.
“I actually woke up at four in the morning. I was really ready for school,” said Savanna Wharton, an eighth-grader at Incarnation Catholic Academy.
Students at Incarnation Catholic Academy in Queens Village returned to class on Wednesday, greeted by a special guest, Brooklyn’s very own Bishop Robert Brennan.
It marks the end of summer and the beginning of a new year, and while that may have been a rougher start for some.
Bishop Brennan knows the feelings of the first day of school all too well.
“There’s always that dread of the end of summer, but then as soon as you step in, you feel like you belong there,” Bishop Brennan said.
He offered a prayer before students headed to their classrooms, where they would start a curriculum meant to form their body, mind, and soul.
“We believe that Catholic education helps us to know and love God,” Bishop Brennan said.
Leading that education is Incarnation’s new principal, Ivan Green, who has worked at other diocesan schools but says this one feels special.
“I’m from the neighborhood, and the kids are much, much more acquainted with me,” Green said.
He wasn’t the only new face at the school.
“I moved schools because I thought it would be a better opportunity in learning,” said Jasmine Gopie, a 7th grader at Incarnation Catholic Academy.
But whether the students were new or returning, they all felt at home.
“I felt welcomed,” said Faith Edwards, a seventh-grader at the school. “I can get better grades because I’m getting taught more, and that’ll be good for me in high school.”
“I was looking forward to get back to school to see my friends and the new teachers,” said Jordan Major, an 8th grader.
Now, as students across the diocese officially return to the classroom, Bishop Brennan has sent this message: “I say welcome back. I say we’re going to have a great year together.”