A "blessed" school is no more

Blessed Sacrament School is the Catholic elementary school I attended for eight years. Sadly, it closed its doors forever at the end of this school year.

When it was officially announced in early January that my school was getting the axe, I could not believe it. For reasons I don't fully comprehend, I secretly hoped that it would miraculously remain fully functional until the day I could take my son for a private tour of "the school mommy went to when she was a little girl." That day, will more than likely, never come. Nostalgia is a peculiar thing, really. In general, you go through life taking the bad with the good, and then suddenly the winds of change ruffle things up and you are left thinking, "Hey, all in all, it wasn't so bad. I actually had a pretty good time." According to a Facebook page for BSS, this appears to be the sentiment among the alumni.

A few weeks ago my mother called me up almost crying to tell me they were throwing out the rest of the furniture, books, and marching band instruments. I thought, okay, this is it. It's now or never. So, I drove up to Queens for a private tour of my old school.

It was a bitter-sweet moment for me as I wandered around my old school taking a few photos here and there. It's eight year's worth of memories. I was amazed at how much smaller it felt as compared to when I was a student.

I remember...
I was shorter than the rest, shy, and I remember catching colds a lot. I remember hating "dodge ball". What a brutal "sport" for someone as small, shy, and uncoordinated as I was! I remember the dark wood trimming, the super-glossy, hardwood floors, and the light switch down low so that we could reach it as we walked into the classroom. I remember the coat room to the right of the classroom door where we would all march in, hang up our coats and march out at the opposite end to then make our way to our seats. I remember our old desks with the storage compartment underneath the seat where we stowed away our workbooks and textbooks. I remember sitting there with our hands folded on the desk waiting for the teacher to welcome us, direct us to stand in unison and recite the "Our Father" and then pledge allegiance to the American flag. I remember the blackboards in the front, side and the back of the classroom. I even remember being assigned a few times to "clap the erasers" out the window. Good times. I remember the PA system, the small library, and the auditorium where several patriotic plays were performed. I remember we had marching band which you were not allowed to take part in unless you were a straight A student. I remember my first grade teacher, Miss Panica who was especially kind to me since I was the smallest of the group. I remember the very mean Mrs. Squadrito (in the 3rd or 4th grade, I can't remember exactly). I remember choir with Sister Mary Agnes, English with little old Sister Priscilla, sweet Sister Alma and our kind-hearted school principal, Sister Mary Patrick. I remember running across the street to my home to quickly have my lunch so that I could run back to catch some play time at the schoolyard before Sister Mary Patrick came out with a massive bell signaling us to get "in line" and then usher us back into the building accompanied by our homeroom teachers. So many memories as I wandered in and around my school.

According to the school principal, a lot of the furniture, including some of the classic old metal and wood desk chairs with the attached tabletop, were purchased by an anonymous benefactor for a smaller Catholic school somewhere in an "underprivileged part of Brooklyn." I was informed that the old school building will still be used for Sunday School (the Catholic version of course). The fate of the "new" school building (erected in 1966) is yet to be determined.

The same day I got my private little tour, I also picked up some "mementos." We saw so many items that were destined "to be destroyed and thrown out" according to another staff member. So, we made some arrangements with him and we did salvage a small, old school desk/chair for Liam that was still in pretty good shape, a few books, a beautiful little old bookcase, a couple of bugles, a glockenspiel, and of course a couple of marching band drums (that will all need to be refurbished by my husband as soon as he gets some free time). When my little boy has outgrown these items and squeezed out the last ounce of fun in them, they will eventually find their way to the trash where they were originally doomed to go.


I have more pictures posted up on Flickr.

A big thank you to Blessed Sacrament School for the excellent education. Most of all, thank you for the basic religious instruction that peeked my interest in learning more about God and Jesus Christ. God bless you!