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The name of the school changed to Resurrection Ascension School in 1951. A few years later, in 1954, the Marist Brothers arrived to teach boys in grades 6 through 8. This decade has been termed the “Golden Age of Catholic Education”. Religious education was a priority among Catholics and enrollments were at their peak. This led to the building of new schools such as the Ascension School, Our Lady of Hope and Our Lady of the Angelus. During these years, Sister Louis Marie, Sister Agnes Camilla and Sister Mary Trinita served as principals.
In 1939, the Ascension School (later to be renamed Resurrection Ascension School) opened its doors to a changing and growing Queens county. The school was built to serve several parishes of Queens until other local parish schools could be built. Sister Miriam Constance, the first principal laid the groundwork for academic excellence assisted by many other nuns for grades
1 through 5. In 1943, the first graduating class entered high school. In 1945, Sister Mary Angelus became the next principal. The two wings of the school were complete and enrollment consisted of 1,500 students and a teaching staff of 32 Sisters of Charity.
During the 1960’s, there was a lot of change to the structure of the Catholic Church with the era of Vatican II. There was an exodus of many Religious people and the school welcomed additional lay teachers. Resurrection Ascension School remained one of the best schools in the area under the principalships of Sisters Catherine Therese and Rita Angela.
The Marist Brothers withdrew from the school in 1970 and the Sisters of Charity once again taught coed classes from grades 1 through 8. Also in the 1970’s the school opened its Kindergarten classes. The two principals of this time were Sisters Miriam Clare and Virginia Therese.
During the 1980’s only two teaching Sisters of Charity remained in the school, Sisters Ann Eugene and Mary Theresa. Sister Maria Wittenborn, the principal, began Pre-Kindergarten, computer and Spanish classes. Sister Margaret Sweeney, a Sister of St. Joseph, became principal in 1989 until 2002.
During the 1990’s and 2000’s there have been many changes to Resurrection Ascension School. The Library was enlarged by removing the wall between two classrooms. A state-of the art Science Lab, Art Studio, Music Room and Math Lab were also built. The Prayer Room was added to provide a place for quiet reflection and for small group para-liturgies. In 2002, Mrs. Joann Heppt became our first lay principal.
Two important programs were also added to our school. The Before and After School Program was created to meet the needs of the increased number of working parents. A Fine Arts Program, funded in part through the Diocese of Brooklyn Futures in Education, was established to bring excellent art & music classes to the curriculum.
In 2004, Resurrection Ascension school was once again reaccredited by the Middle States Association and our school started a Nursery Program for three-year-olds.
Over the past decade we have added many extra curricular programs that enhance the curriculum and provide students with a well-rounded education. Children in third grade learn violin from a Midori and Friends teaching artist. Dancing Classrooms provides ballroom dancing lessons for our 4th and 5th graders. Our award winning Robotics team has competed with schools in Queens and schools throughout the city.
In 2016 we added the Pre-K For All program which provides free education for our four-year old students. In 2021 we added the 3-K For All program which provides free education for our three-year old students.
Today, the families of Resurrection Ascension Academy come from over 40 countries all over the world. This wonderful diversity is celebrated in class projects, presentations, celebrations, church liturgies and gatherings.
While our Academy has a rich history and strong reputation of academic excellence for over 80 years, we continue to annually invest in improving our student experience. Maintaining the foundational values and heritage that our Academy was built upon is paramount. However, we are always pursuing new ways to modernize the student experience in an effort to ensure that our students are learning from the best, in the best environments utilizing the best technology.