On Friday, June 11, 2011, students gathered in the cafeteria at Ascension of Our Lord Elementary School in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia before their noon dismissal.  Similar to previous years, all students and school faculty had just attended Mass to mark the official end of the school year.  This time, unlike previous years, marked not only the last official day of school, but also the official permanent closing of the school.

In recent years, several Philadelphia Catholic elementary schools have been forced to close their doors forever because of low enrollments. This year proved no different. On February 28, 2011, the Office of Catholic Education for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia released a media statement announcing a June 2011 closure of seven additional parish schools, Ascension of Our Lord included.  The decision to close Ascension ended over a century of tradition and education in the Kensington area.   More than a decade of service from Principal Ms. Teresa Richardson came to an end on Friday as well.

A native of Fishtown, Richardson became part of the Ascension parish family when her previous school closed eleven years ago.  Working at Ascension for the past eleven years has been a joy for Richardson.  “It has been absolutely wonderful.  The kids are great.  The teachers are amazing,” remarked Richardson.  “The best part has been the kids.  Also, the parents have been supportive the whole time,” she added.  Although she reflected fondly on her time at Ascension, it was clear, as it was from the words of students and faculty alike, that these good times did not negate the emotional hardship experienced from the school closing.  “It’s been awful…for the last two years we’ve been working to save the school,” Richardson shared, becoming misty-eyed.

Seconding her thoughts was ten-year veteran kindergarten teacher Mrs. Janice Casino.  “It’s such a nice school, but it’s a sad, sad day.”  Casino also alluded to the fight to keep the school open. “Ms. Richardson has been the best principal and has fought every year to keep us open.  She has been supportive of every teacher.” Sixth-grade teacher of Ascension for eleven years Ms. Jennifer McLaughlin shared similar thoughts about Principal Richardson.  “She is the most giving, generous person.  Parents love her.  She is one of the reasons I’ve stayed here all these years.” Both graduates of the school themselves, Casino and McLaughlin revealed that Ascension was more than a school, it was a family.

Mr. Austin McGuire, a volunteer computer technician for the school, has been associated with the school for over thirty years and was equally affected by his experience at Ascension.  “It’s nice because I’m a volunteer, but the community involvement, all the years it’s been here, it’s a legacy and I’ll miss it.”  Working with Principal Richardson has been just as rewarding.  “She’s fantastic.  You couldn’t ask for a better person,” McGuire stated.

Students were also saddened by the closing of the school.  Seventh-grader Jessica Thompson has attended Ascension since kindergarten and sees the school as her family.  “It’s just like a family.  We all know each other.  I’m close to all the teachers and the principal.  We all have our special moments together.” Standing among classmates, Thompson also reveals her disappointment in the school closing.  “It’s sad because we won’t finish our final year together.”  One student, Eralish Vargas, was able to share her feelings about the school closing with the entire school, reading a poem in front of all in attendance before Principal Richardson called out groups for the school’s final dismissal.  Vargas’s poem explained her close ties to her school and classmates.  “I wrote the poem when we started exams.  The school and my classmates are like family and I was sad and I wrote it to express this,” stated Vargas.

Although feelings of sadness permeated the atmosphere, the day was meant to be one of celebration, remembering the times well spent at Ascension and to help students and faculty leave the school on a positive note.  At the beginning of the day, Swoop from the Philadelphia Eagles visited the school and instead of dismissing students directly from the church after Mass, everyone returned to the cafeteria for ice cream sundaes, air-brushed tattoos, and music.  McLaughlin explains the reasoning for the break in tradition saying, “We wanted to end on a positive note…it gives the students a chance to be together and have fun.”  And have fun they did.  There was an endless line to see Mr. McGuire, computer tech turned tattoo artist for either a Phillies or Eagles air-brushed tattoo, and countless scoops of ice cream were served by Ascension staff members Maggie Diamond, Floss Hunter, and Linda Verschelde.  Principal Richardson filled the role of DJ as teachers and students flapped their arms to the Chicken Dance and Congo-lined their way around the cafeteria.

As the music died down and Principal Richardson dismissed students for the final time, students and teachers shared final goodbyes and embraces, but lingered outside of the school, not quite ready to leave behind the school that had been a family for so many over the years.