Families Enjoy First Grandparents’ Day at AHA Middle School

 It was a morning to remember. On May 17, students in Grades 6-8 observed the Academy of the Holy Angels Middle School’s very first Grandparents’ Day. AHA President Melinda Hanlon welcomed everyone to the event, which organized by Middle School Dean Traci Koval, and included an Easter Liturgy coordinated by Campus Ministry Director Kathleen Sylvester, Campus Minister Maryanne Miloscia, and Performing Arts Director Dan Mahoney.

Students greeted their grandparents with warm hugs and smiles and sat together during Mass. 

Celebrant Father Anthony Armstrong of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Tenafly observed that life’s peace can be as fleeting as a soap bubble, while the peace Jesus offers is liberating and prevails despite daily trials.

Mahoney conducted the middle school’s handbell choir as they played “Ave Maria” on the chimes, and directed the school chorus. Cristyn Lindsay and Valentina Mendoza led the entrance hymn, “All Are Welcome.” Hannah George, Lizbeth George, Kaci Li, and Hailey Smith sang solos during the responsorial psalm.

The altar servers were Ella Menapace and Chloe Burkards. Ava Cifelli and Sophia Garzon presented the gifts to Father Armstrong.
 
After Mass, Dean Koval joined the students and their grandparents for refreshments. Students visited with their relatives, and presented them with goody bags to mark the occasion.

Founded by the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1879, the Academy of the Holy Angels is the oldest private girls’ school in Bergen County. While AHA is steeped in Catholic tradition, this prestigious school serves young women from many cultural and religious backgrounds. The Academy’s current leaders continue to further the SSND mission to provide each student with the tools she needs to reach the fullness of her potential—spiritually, intellectually, socially, and physically, by offering a first-rate education in a nurturing environment where equal importance is placed on academic excellence, character development, moral integrity, and service to others.