Back-to-school week closes out with Our Lady of Mercy welcoming students
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Friday is the final day of back-to-school week in the region. While most public schools have already started their first day, Our Lady of Mercy welcomed its high school students back on Friday morning.
A welcome wagon with balloons, music, and cheering from faculty members greeted the students. The seniors are celebrating the first day of their final year with a sunrise tailgate in the back parking lot. After that, there will be a gathering at the auditorium with a prayer service before classes start.
Mercy president and CEO Christina Lacagnina said that, for the first time in years, they’ll welcome international students from Dubai, China, and Russia.
“We want to make sure that we are, for all of our new students, preparing them and letting them ease into the community,” she said.
Students in grades six through nine started on Thursday. Mercy principal Sherylanne Diodato said she’s excited to see the last of the students return on Friday.
“This is a wonderful celebration day for our teachers, our students, our families, so we’re excited for today,” she said.
Diodato explained that the faith-based school is part of a ministry of the Sisters of Mercy, which has 54 other schools across the world. The campus has a statue of Catherine McAuley, who founded the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland in the 1800s, at a time when women couldn’t lead schools unless they had a religious order.
See the rest of our back-to-school coverage:
- News10NBC’s back-to-school photos (Sept. 5)
- Rochester area schools reassure parents, students about safety protocols, first day back after Georgia mass shooting (Sept. 5)
- RCSD welcomes students to its five new schools; See our live coverage (Sept. 5)
- As back-to-school shopping gets more expensive, some parents are turning to thrift stores (Sept. 5)
- High school seniors share hopes, worries heading into the new school year (Sept. 4)
- Students return to Greece Odyssey and EMHCS; See our coverage (Sept. 4)
- Students return to Rush-Henrietta and Brockport; See our coverage (Sept. 3)