January 23, 2017 (Louisville, Ky) – More than 19,500 students and 1,500 faculty and staff at 49 Catholic elementary and secondary schools will celebrate National Catholic Schools Week from January 29-February 4, 2017. The theme for this year’s Catholic Schools Week is “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge, and Service.”
Festivities for the week include the annual liturgy at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, January 31, at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, 508 Breckenridge Lane, Louisville. Student and faculty representatives from Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Louisville will attend this liturgy, which will be celebrated by the Very Rev. J. Mark Spalding, Vicar General of the Archdiocese.
At the liturgy, awards will be given, including the Distinguished Catholic School Leader (Maryann Hayslip, Saint Aloysius School), Outstanding Religious Educator (Emily McCarty, Saint Athanasius School), the Irene Casey Catholic Inclusion Award (Emily Metzger Puffer, Sacred Heart Academy) and Outstanding School Volunteer (Teresa Riggs, Saint Leonard School). The Father Joseph McGee Award recipient (Paula Do, Saint Francis of Assisi School) also will be recognized. The Father McGee award is presented each year at the Salute to Catholic School Alumni dinner, which will be held on Tuesday, March 14, 2017.
In addition to these awards, the Catholic Education Foundation will be presenting its poster and essay-writing contest awards to elementary students for winning posters and a high school student for a winning essay. The poster and essay contests invite students to celebrate Catholic schools and the ways in which Catholic schools are “Communities of Faith, Knowledge, and Service.”
The 49 Catholic elementary and secondary schools are located in seven counties in the Archdiocese of Louisville. All schools will schedule special activities throughout the week. The following pages include a sampling of these activities.
CONTACT: Cecelia H. Price at 502-585-3291 or 502-417-7187.
Saint Athanasius School Invites Members of Community to Celebrity Read-In
Saint Athanasius School (5915 Outer Loop) invites various leaders in the Catholic and civic community to instill a love of reading in their young students by participating in a “Celebrity Read-In.” Adults are invited to read a book to students in preschool through fourth grade on Wednesday, February 1 at 9:00 a.m. at the school.
CONTACT: Anne Bainbridge, 502-969-2345 or Bainbridge@athanasiusschool.org.
Saint Gabriel School Holds Baby Bottle Boomerang
Students at Saint Gabriel School (5503 Bardstown Road) are taking home baby bottles, collecting money (often their own) and bringing the bottles back to school at the end of the week for a school-wide donation to the Pregnancy Resource Center. The Pregnancy Resource Center uses these donations to assist families in need with such items as baby beds and other essential items.
CONTACT: Jennifer Schulz, 502-239-5535
Holy Trinity School Holds Open House and 8th Grade versus Faculty Volleyball Game
On Thursday, February 2, from 8-9:30 a.m., Holy Trinity School (423 Cherrywood Road, Louisville, Ky.) will host an open house for families and community members to see learning in action and experience Holy Trinity School. On Wednesday, February 1 from 1-2:30 p.m. the 8th graders will compete against faculty and staff in the annual volleyball game. This will be held in the school gym. The teachers hold the current winning record.
CONTACT: Ashley Davenport, 502-565-9127 or adavenport@ht-school.org
Saint Joseph School, Bardstown Creates Thank You Cards and Holds 8th Grade versus Faculty Volleyball Game
Throughout Catholic Schools Week, students at Saint Joseph School in Bardstown (320 West Stephen Foster Avenue) will be creating large thank you cards to give to members of the parish and school community that make Catholic school education possible, including priests, teachers and assistants, office staff, cafeteria workers, after school care workers, etc. On Friday, February 3, at 1:30 p.m., 8th grade students at Saint Joseph will play the faculty in volleyball, continuing a 25-year tradition at the school.
CONTACT: Michelle Ball, 502-348-5994
Saint Leonard School Holds Dance Competition/Collection for United Crescent Hill Ministries
On Friday, February 3 at 2 p.m., Saint Leonard School (440 Zorn Avenue) will celebrate the parish’s 60th anniversary in 2017 through a competition of groups of students who will perform dances from the 1950s. Throughout the week, the school will be holding various collections among all grades to be given at the end of the week to United Crescent Hill Ministries.
CONTACT: Laura Emly, 502-897-5265
Saint Martha School Holds Career Day and Book Collection for Immigrant Families at Catholic Charities and Gutermuth Elementary School
On Tuesday, January 31, from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. parents of students at Saint Martha School (2825 Klondike Lane) have been invited to talk with all grades about their careers, so that students can begin to learn more about various means of employment. In addition, throughout the week students will be collecting toiletries and books for the Migration and Refugee department of Catholic Charities and a school (Gutermuth Elementary School) that serves families of many different cultures. Students at Saint Martha will write a personal note in the books for the students of Gutermuth Elementary. On Friday, February 3 at 1 p.m., students will organize the books and toiletries for delivery to Catholic Charities and Gutermuth.
CONTACT: Danny Atkins (Career Day) datkins@stmarthaschool.org or Alesha Jones (donation efforts), ajones@stmarthaschool.org or 502-491-3171
Saint Patrick School Holds Dress Up Days/8th Grade vs. Faculty Volleyball Game
Saint Patrick School (1000 North Beckley Station Road) is holding a series of “dress up” days to celebrate Catholic Schools Week. Monday is “Crazy Sock” day, Tuesday is “Warm and Cozy Pajama Day,” Thursday is “Be a Good Sport Day,” and Friday is “Spirit Wear and Crazy Hair” day. Saint Patrick middle school students also will play the teachers in volleyball on Friday, February 3 at 1:45 p.m.
CONTACT: Nathan Sturtzel, 502-244-7083 or nsturtzel@stpatlou.org
Saint Rita School Families and Young Authors Day
Students at Saint Rita School (8709 Preston Highway) will be gathering on Thursday, February 2 at 9 a.m. as families of faith. As part of the Virtue Based Restorative Discipline process that Saint Rita adopted three years ago, groups have been formed in which students of mixed grade levels gather as a “family” to pray together and build community. On Friday, February 3, Saint Rita will hold a Young Authors Day. A mime will visit the school and offer a morning assembly at 8 a.m. to teach students about the “art of silence.” Students will then return to their classrooms to work on creating stories. The performer will visit individual classrooms from 9-11:15 am. for writing time and will hold two more assemblies at 12:45 p.m. (K-4) and 1:45 p.m. (5-8) where the mime will act out stories that students wrote during their writing time.
CONTACT: Angela Simmons, 502-969-7067 or asimmons@stritacatholicschool.com
Sacred Heart Schools Hold Variety of Activities for Catholic Schools Week
Who: Sacred Heart Academy (3175 Lexington Road)
What: Ursuline Sister Appreciation Day
Date and time of event: Thursday, February 2
Event: Celebrating St Angela and the Ursuline Sisters whose teachings show us what faith, knowledge, and service are all about, the Academy will introduce compassionate pins. These pins will be handed to students and teachers showing acts of kindness and compassion to others throughout the semester.
Who: Sacred Heart Academy (3175 Lexington Road)
What: Student Appreciation Day
Date and time of event: Friday, February 3 during lunches from 11:05 a.m. – 1:10 p.m.
Event: Sacred Heart Academy will raise money for the Ursuline school in Peru, which is in great need of supplies and which will begin an exchange program with Sacred Heart Academy next school year, including a visit in June 2018 and a cultural and language exchange among the students in Louisville and Peru.
Who: Sacred Heart Preschool (3015 Lexington Road)
What: Family Service Project
Date and time of event: Tuesday, January 31 and Thursday, February 2
Event: Families are asked to bring in care kits for children under care at Norton Children’s Hospital. The project was chosen to honor a SHP classmate who was diagnosed with B Cell Leukemia. The shoe box kits will include: coloring books, markers, crayons, stickers, matchbox cars etc.
Who: Sacred Heart Preschool (3015 Lexington Road)
What: Card Shower for Ursuline Sisters
Date and time of event: Thursday, February 2
Event: Each room at SHP has adopted an Ursuline Sister from Sacred Heart Home. The relationship that has developed is a beautiful display of intergenerational learning and love. Each SHP family is asked to bring in a homemade card in order to shower the Sisters with cards (and love).
Who: Sacred Heart Model School (3107 Lexington Road)
What: Grandparents Day
Date and time of event: Tuesday, Jan. 31 and Thursday, February 2 – 8:15-10:30 a.m.
Event: Students have invited their grandparents to accompany them throughout the times noted above on the school days. This is an important and integral part of Catholic Schools Week that builds a positive school climate, and the kids love it.
Who: Sacred Heart Model School (3107 Lexington Road)
What: Student Appreciation Day
Date and time of event: Friday, February 3 – 2:05-2:45 p.m.
Event: The 8th graders get to show their muscles in a friendly competitive game of volleyball against their teachers.
CONTACT: Laura Grinstead 502-896-6033 x1508 or LGrinstead@shslou.org
Saint Xavier High School Holds Variety of Activities for Catholic Schools Week
Each day, Saint Xavier High School (1609 Poplar Level Road) will celebrate Catholic Schools Week with a variety of activities. There will be a student drawing each morning for a gift card to a popular restaurant during the airing of the school’s television station, WSTX. Students will participate in a three point shoot out on Monday, January 30 and a football throw on Thursday, February 2 during lunches from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The week will culminate with the annual Blood Drive on Friday, February 3 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Students will be encouraged to wear red on that day to celebrate National Wear Red Day.
On Wednesday, February 1 at 8:30 a.m., the school will recognize student excellence in Arts, Academics, Campus Ministry, and Athletics. During the ceremony, Saint Xavier also will continue its celebration of being recognized for the fourth time by the Department of Education as a National Blue a Ribbon School.
CONTACT: Rosanna Vessels, 502-637-4712, ext. 260 or VesselsR@saintxfac.com