New Haven Independent

Dollie the Clown greeted parents and students on their way to the ceremony to make the children characters out of balloons. Fifth-grader Kimberyl Aguilar was happy to receive a fish from Dollie; she said that she loves everything about her new-school, especially the library.

Mayor John DesStefano, Jr. was the master of ceremonies at the school’s dedication.

The ceremony’s guest speaker was the building’s namesake John C. Daniels, who was New Haven’s first African-American mayor. Daniels encouraged students to have pride in thier new school by keeping it clean and asked parents to become more involved in their children’s education.

The school’s choir also gave two performances during the program.