Clayton Prisament's high school English class turned into "pope watch" on Thursday afternoon at Regis High School in Manhattan.

“Instead of doing English class, we just put on the Sistine Chapel right on the big screen, the smart board, and just sat and watched waiting to see who the next pope is,” the high school junior said.

And the joy and surprise that followed was because it was an American-born clergy member who will lead the Catholic Church for the first time.

“I would say I feel an extremely strong connection to Leo the 14th, as really an American Christian who is devoted and happened to be pope,” he said.

Pope Leo XIV, who grew up in Chicago, certainly has something in common with American Catholic school students. It's something that resonates for the students at Regis, said Rev. Christopher Devron, SJ, the school's president.

“He is a product of American Catholic schools," he said. "We have never had anything close to that. I think it’s a great example for our students.”

The students at Regis have had an intimate look at the papal transition. Ten of them, including Prisament, went to Rome this spring for the funeral of Pope Francis, led by principal Charlie Heintz.

“I feel like we had a front row seat to history as it unfolds in the church," he said.

That experience and the legacy of Pope Francis have not been lost on Philip Liew, who was also on the trip.

“It’s given me an opportunity to reflect on my mission as a Jesuit student, but also as a Catholic" the junior said. "To kind of bring the church out to the people who need it.”

From the leaders to the students at Regis, they hope the early messaging from Pope Leo XIV shows he will continue on the path laid out by the late Pope Francis.

“God loves all without limits and conditions and sits down. And that’s a beautiful message," Devron said. "And that’s what all our students need to hear. That God loves them no matter where they come from, who they are, they belong.”