“I keep saying, ‘Good morning,’ which just tells you what kind of day it was,” says Emily Bryan, the new principal at the Thomas J. Kenny School near Adams Corner as she welcomed a parent to the school’s open house on Sept. 24.

Bryan officially took charge at the elementary school in July after stints as a Lynch Leadership Academy Principal Fellow at the Warren-Prescott K-8 School and as an English teacher at the Joseph Lee K-8 School and Clarence Edwards Middle School. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Emerson College and her master’s in education at Lesley University.

“I think this school has been too long forgotten,” said Bryan of her new assignment.” After meeting with students, families, and staff, she knew they deserved a fight. “We’re making this school No. 1,” she said.

The Kenny School is a community that includes 320 students, more than half whom are English language learners. At the open house, the idea of one community for the school was stressed by Bryan and other staff. They have developed an acronym for the Kenny mission: P.R.I.D.E, which stands for perseverance, responsibility, integrity, dedication, and effort. Every morning, the students now recite the Kenny school pledge right after the Pledge of Allegiance.

During the day, classes that embody the values of the pledge earn “paws” (a nod to the school’s mascot, a wildcat.) When classrooms earn nine paws, they receive prizes such as backpacks filled with school supplies that have been donated by Cradles to Crayons.

Six year-old Katie had the biggest smile on her face as she held her mother’s hand at the open house and excitedly told Principal Bryan that she had earned a paw in class that day. Bryan gave her a big high five, one of dozens that she gave to students at the open house.

A volunteer group made up of parents, community members, former students, and school staff spent the better part of last summer trying to physically improve the schoolhouse on Oakton Avenue. They added fresh coats of vibrant blue and yellow paint. Posters displaying celebrities who had attended college were added to the walls. New lights were installed in the basement to make it more welcoming. Teachers in the English Language Learners program, who used to move around to classrooms, were finally given their own suite in which to teach.

Also new this year for the students: uniforms, a move the School Site Council okayed last year. Students come to school wearing their blue polo shirt with a custom Kenny School patch. Devon, 7, a second grader, has no complaints about the team-building approach. He wants to be a football player when he grows up. “The new uniforms are like a football team uniform,” he said.

At the beginning of the open house, Bryan addressed the crowd of students, teachers, and neighbors who had been invited. She talked about various new partnerships between the school and organizations such as BalletRox, Boston Bikes, The Bell Foundation, Generations Inc, and many others. The Kenny is now the only Boston public elementary school to offer a fifth-grade debate team, she noted, thanks to a partnership with Debate Mate. This year, she said, recess has been given a new, more structured, approach. And she spoke about student choice: Every day students can choose to participate in different activities such as ballet, music, sports, or biking. She mentioned watching some of the students biking earlier that day. “I’m particularly proud of those who fell and got right back up,” she said.

Bryan invited parents to become members of the school’s site council to help the school administration in making decisions. Sixteen parents signed up.