By Michael Rizzo & Jessica Easthope

WHITESTONE — 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.

It’s the second year in a row they were able to add a new class. The academy was slated to close after the 2019-2020 academic year, but the parish convinced the diocese to allow it to restructure as an early childhood center serving students in nursery through third grade.

Last year, the academy added a fourth-grade class, and this year, 100% of those 13 fourth graders make up the new fifth-grade class.

“I see this as a major step in the right direction,” Principal Amy Barron said about St. Mel’s expansion with the eventual aim to add a sixth, seventh and eighth grade in the future. “The fact that we are one step closer is huge.”

The academy has seen positive results in maintaining enrollment. Barron, a parishioner at St. Camillus-St. Virgilius in Rockaway Park, cited high retention rates for students, especially in the pre-K through first-grade classes, as a positive for future growth.

New for this year’s fifth graders is the addition of specialized teachers in English language arts, science, and math. This new structure for learning is no problem for fifth grader Marissa Muccio.

“It can kind of get boring with just one teacher,” the soon-to-be 10-year-old said. “This way, we get new teachers, teaching in different ways.”

Marissa’s mother, Beth, couldn’t be happier that the school added the new class so students like her daughter can continue their studies there.

“It shows continuity. It shows the students they’re not missing anything,” she said. “They’re with their friends. The stability is reassuring.”

The students will also continue using an online learning system, The Flying Classroom, to build their science, technology, engineering, and math skills, which Barron said was in line with the school’s mission to “give them a foundation as critical thinkers and leaders.”

Albert Santangelo’s nine-year-old son Franco is another fifth-grader at St. Mel’s. The senior Santangelo said keeping his son at a Catholic academy was important: “The personal care we get here can’t be matched.”

Franco said he was already having fun seeing all his friends again but knows the new grade will be different.

“I know it will be harder to do all the work this year,” he said.

Mrs. Amy Turturro, a St. Mel’s parishioner, is the fifth-grade homeroom teacher, a role she’s reprising from the fourth grade.

“I’m excited. We’re excited,” she said. “It’s great the parish kept the school going and growing. It’s good for the community. It speaks to us as a family.

The first day of the school saw 103 students in kindergarten through fifth grade, along with their parents, begin arriving at 7:50 a.m. to be greeted, seemingly each by name, by Barron outside the building. Then, they funneled into the school cafeteria to be met by St. Mel’s pastor, Father Joseph Fonti. Another 99 students in 3-K and pre-K gathered separately in another part of the school.

Father Fonti described the return of the students as a “beautiful sight” and offered a prayer and blessing. He said that while everyone might be a little anxious, he asked them all to stay focused on their friendship with God and each other. After a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, the students were off to their respective classrooms.

Just before leading her students to their new classroom, Turturro was asked what her overall lesson plan was. After a moment of thought, she said it was “to grow their minds and faith.” She then added that she had told her students they were special now as the school’s upperclassmen.

It was a comment not lost on Marissa Muccio, who said it means a lot to be a fifth grader.

“We’re the role models now for the younger kids,” she said.

FLUSHING — He didn’t bring an apple for the teacher, but Deacon Kevin McCormack brought lots of excitement when he visited St. Michael Catholic Academy on the first day of school on Sept. 7.

St. Michael’s, located in Flushing, was Deacon McCormack’s first stop in a two-week tour of Catholic academies in the Diocese of Brooklyn. He plans to visit two schools a day for the first few weeks of the school year. The former principal of Xaverian High School in Bay Ridge was named superintendent in May and started his job in July.

Accompanied by Principal Philip Heide and Father Vincentius Do, pastor at St. Michael’s Church, Deacon McCormack, 61, visited several classrooms to introduce himself to the students.

He enjoyed easy banter with the kids, asking them to call him “Deacon Mac,” inquiring what they liked best about their school, and encouraging them to talk about what they did on their summer vacations.

At one point, he joked that he was so old, “I’m in the 58th grade!”

The new superintendent was impressed by what he saw.

“People wonder if we’re at the end of an era,” Deacon McCormack told The Tablet. “Absolutely not. We’re just beginning. And what we see here at St. Michael’s is an example of that.”

“We have kids who are really thriving,” he added. “Everybody is represented here. … And this is just one example of our schools.”

According to Deacon McCormack, diocesan schools are in solid shape. Schools in the diocese saw a 2.4% increase in enrollment between the 2021 and 2022 school years, and 21 schools are experiencing enrollment growth by an average of 20% from pre-pandemic levels.

Overall, the diocese expects that the enrollment for the current school year will match last year’s numbers, Deacon McCormack said.

St. Michael’s students were excited on their first day of school.

“I like St. Michael’s because it’s a Catholic school. You can learn about Jesus and the Bible and lots of stuff,” said fourth grader Vivian Lin. “I’m most excited about new friends. My friends play with me all the time and sometimes talk in class, but not always.”

Michael Minuche, a sixth grader, studies Mandarin at St. Michael’s, which is the only Catholic elementary school in New York state that offers a dual English-Mandarin program.

“I’m not too good. But I practice,” he admitted. “It’s cool because around the world, there are different languages. People speak differently, and you can speak to them somewhat.”

After his visit to St. Michael’s Catholic Academy, Deacon McCormack was off to St. Andrew Avellino Catholic Academy in Flushing, where he met with Principal Debora Hanna and Father Gregory McIlhenney, administrator of St. Andrew Avellino Church.

His tour of the building included stops in several classrooms, where the superintendent regaled the students with stories of his days working at White Castle and taught them the 1960s-era word “groovy.”

The students, including eighth grader Lira Cervantes, enjoyed meeting him.

“I see this as actually really nice because you wouldn’t expect that from someone who is looking over all these different schools,” said Lira, who described her school as a second home. “And I’m actually really happy that he could come to ours because, as I said before, it’s home here. And I hope that this was a very welcoming environment to him.”

Lira, who has been attending St. Andrew Avellino since pre-K, is excited about beginning her final year. She has been accepted into the Science Regents Program and hopes to go to The Mary Louis Academy next year.

Matthew Albanese, a third grader, said seeing Deacon McCormack “made me feel comfortable in school.”

Matthew admitted that before the school day began on Wednesday, he was a little nervous.

“But now I’m not nervous at all,” he added. “I’m hoping for a good school year and a couple of good grades.”