CINCINNATI - - Mercy McAuley High School celebrated its first-ever day of school Wednesday, welcoming students from both of the Catholic girls’ schools that combined to create it.
Ella Klusman, an incoming senior whose first three years of high school were the last of Mother of Mercy’s existence, said adjusting to the idea was “tough at the beginning.” However, when students like her walk into the former McAuley building Wednesday morning, artifacts of their old school will greet them.
Klusman worked with the transition team to ensure certain physical features of Mother of Mercy, including stained glass windows and wood lockers, would move with her to a new home.
“I think it’s really awesome they have them here because it’s a piece of Mercy that’ll always be here and be with us,” she said.
Their school also sports a new mascot, newly painted walls and costumes taken from both schools’ theater departments. All are changes meant to make the beginning of students’ new high school experience a memorable one that brings the community closer together.
“Nobody wants to look backward anymore,” Mercy McAuley president Patty Ragio said. “We want to look forward.”
