News – Page 11 – Catholic School Chronicle

February 23, 2011February 22, 2011

Watch Our Narnia Reading Marathon Live on the Web!

Let us read to your students this week! In honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, many schools will be celebrating Read Across America on March 2, 2011. All Saints Catholic School in Spokane, WA, where I teach, will begin celebrating a little early this year. On Friday, February 25, over thirty students and teachers will take turns reading C.S. Lewis’ The Silver Chair in its entirety live on the Internet.

Each reader will read approximately half a chapter, and the entire unabridged reading will be streamed live via Ustream beginning at 9:00 am Pacific time. We’d love for you to join us for all or some of the event, which should last between four and five hours. You can leave comments to cheer the readers on, or you can just sit back and enjoy this great story from the world of Narnia.

The Silver Chair is the fourth volume in the Chronicles of Narnia and comes right after The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which many students saw in theaters recently. In this exciting tale, Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole must rescue a prince from an evil witch. As with all of C.S. Lewis’ fiction, expect great storytelling combined with spiritual themes. Students of all ages will enjoy this timeless classic.

I have the pleasure of leading off the marathon by introducing the book and reading Chapter 1, and I’ll also be moderating the Ustream chat room. This is our first time streaming any school event live, and we’re very excited to share this with all of you.

Please tell all the Catholic teachers and homeschoolers you know so that we can all celebrate together. See you on Friday!

All Saints Catholic School Narnia Reading Marathon

February 10, 2011

A Round-Up of Catholic Schools Week Videos

Catholic Schools Week 2011 is over, but the celebration continues thanks to many schools who posted videos of their activities. From flash mobs to bishops’ homilies, the following videos show how schools around the country celebrated this national event.

Faculty-staff Flash Mob at Totino-Grace High School:

Homily by Bishop Michael Burbidge of Raleigh:

St. Joachim Catholic School Celebrates Catholic Schools Week:

Reflection by Resurrection School Principal Linda Knox:

An Appreciation Video to the Faculty and Staff of DePaul Catholic:

February 5, 2011February 4, 2011

Teach Them Something That Lasts

Note: The following reflection was written for Catholic Schools Week 2011 as part of a series for ACE Advocates for Catholic Schools.

Holy Spirit by Murillo When I taught Amy she was a bright, athletic, beaming eighth grader. She loved her older sister, her younger brother, and playing soccer. A short two years later, her body was ravaged by leukemia, and after a long and valiant battle, she passed away. Attending her funeral was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. And yet, though it was many years ago, I still remember the theme of the homily: Amy’s life is changed, not ended.

I sometimes imagine Amy looking down from heaven and saying to me, “These students you teach will not be here forever. Teach them something that lasts.”

And that, indeed, is the mission of Catholic schools: to teach something that lasts. Not for a decade. Not for a generation. But forever. As a guest speaker once told our faculty, “Our calling is to get students into Heaven, not Harvard.”

Not that Catholic schools don’t care about providing a rigorous education. Any of numerous studies will tell you that Catholic schools provide an outstanding academic foundation–high graduation rates and top scores on standardized tests. However, what Catholic schools uniquely offer our children is the one thing that lasts: the opportunity to develop in their relationship with Jesus Christ.

In a culture that increasingly marginalizes religion, Catholic schools keep faith at the forefront. Each day students witness the lived faith of a believing community and learn how Christ permeates every aspect of life. From learning about Catholic contributions in science to exploring religious themes in literature, from daily school prayer to weekly school liturgies, Catholic schools offer students an ongoing invitation to recognize God in their lives.

Catholic schools give students the x-ray glasses they need to see through the false promises of our culture. Catholic schools give students the hearing aids they need to listen the voice of the Holy Spirit in their own lives. Catholic schools give students the inner compass they need to find their way to their true home.

Life is beautiful, but all too short. I advocate for Catholic schools because Catholic schools offer students an education that lasts a lifetime…and beyond.

January 26, 2011January 10, 2014

101 Reasons to Send Your Child to a Catholic School

The Author in High School — Billings Central Catholic High School Class of 1984

With Catholic Schools Week 2011 nearly upon us, Catholic schools all over the country are about to celebrate the gift of Catholic education. My own involvement in Catholic education has been a blessing I could never repay. From first grade through high school, from undergraduate to graduate school, I spent nineteen years as a student in Catholic schools. Currently I am in the middle of my twenty-first year as a teacher in Catholic schools. That means I have spent about 90 percent of my life in Catholic classrooms. And I’m not sure which portion of that time–as a student or as a teacher–has taught me more.

Regardless, I’m not the only one to have benefited from the time I’ve spent within the halls of the Church’s most effective means of catechesis. As a tribute to all those whose efforts make Catholic schools possible, here is my list of 101 reasons to send a child to a Catholic school. Though there are many more reasons I could mention, the focus of this list is mostly on things that can only be found in a Catholic school. They are not in any particular order.

Why should you send your children to a Catholic school? So they can experience:

Prayer each morning before the school day begins
Prayer before eating lunch
Prayer at the end of each school day
A Christmas concert rather than a “Winter Concert”
Weekly Mass with their closest friends
Learning about saints and other heroes of faith
Praying the rosary
Participating in the Stations of the Cross
Spiritual retreats
Celebrating the true meaning of Christmas
Reading scripture regularly
Praying with the entire school when disasters or tragedies occur
Celebrating All Saints Day instead of Halloween
No school on Easter Monday!
Learning responsibility for their own education by fund raising
Learning the connection between faith and reason
Being able to talk to a teacher about religion
Sharing faith journeys with each other
Seeing priests on a regular basis
Celebrating Mary in May
Halls decorated with a manger during Advent and Christmas
Talking with friends about what to give up for Lent
Congratulating second graders on receiving First Communion
Helping Catholic Charities with service projects
Hearing Jesus’ name regularly, and not as a swear word
Getting pets blessed on the feast of St. Francis
Getting throats blessed on the feast of St. Blase
Celebrating the Immaculate Conception
Seeing teachers at Sunday Mass
Connecting service with Catholic social teaching
Hearing a consistent pro-life message
Easy shopping for school clothes
Being able to discuss the religious symbolism in works like The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings
St. Nicholas parties
Epiphany parties
Seeing the same friends at church that they see at school
Learning about liturgical colors and seasons
Discipline based on gospel values
Crucifixes on the walls
Statues of Mary
Religious-themed bulletin boards
Nearness to the Blessed Sacrament
The chance to lector at school Masses
The chance to serve at the altar at school Masses
Making rosaries during Art
Learning that their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit
Hearing “Make room for Jesus!” at school dances
Seeing teachers wear religious-themed jewelry or clothing to school
Hearing a teacher witness to his or her faith
Celebrating the resurrection of Jesus at Easter
Religious art on the walls
A curriculum designed to help students grow in spirituality
Learning about sacred music in Choir class
The freedom to talk about any religion, rather than no religion
An atmosphere that cares more about students getting in to heaven than into Harvard
Spending seven hours a day in a faith community
Learning about all vocation options including marriage, ordained and religious life
Getting to listen to the Pope talk about school
Discussing the religious and ethical implications of stem cell research, abortion, euthanasia, and other life issues
Dressing up as their favorite saint for All Saints Day
Constant support and encouragement in their spiritual life
Exposure to classic spiritual works by St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Francis de Sales, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Catherine of Siena, Hildegard of Bingen, etc.
Ash Wednesday Mass
Daily exposure to the Bible
Learning about the Catholic contribution to science through great Catholic scientists including Pasteur, Mendel, Lemaitre, Bacon, and Albertus Magnus
A mission to educate the whole child: spiritually, as well as academically, morally, socially and physically.
An outstanding academic program that helps students become their best selves
The freedom to talk explicitly about the creator who has endowed us with the inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
Learning about the redemptive value of suffering
Teachers who explicitly model their instruction after the great teacher, Jesus Christ
Celebrating St. Joseph the Worker
A strong intellectual history whose tradition of academic excellence is unmatched by any other organization that has ever been
The development of a Catholic world view
A natural integration with all aspects of family life, rather than a compartmentalized existence
Moral development based on gospel values
An antidote for the surrounding culture’s materialistic, image-centric distortions of reality
Discovering what it means to live a “Christ-centered” way of life
Learning the meaning of life in its fullness
Coming to understand that at the heart of every subject is Jesus, “the way, the truth and the life”
Learning to recognize the voice of God in all creation
Learning to be a living witness to God’s love
Being constantly reminded that God loves them
Parent Nights that begin with prayer
Hearing prayers at 8th grade graduation
Mass to begin the year
Mass to end the year
Field trips to convents and seminaries
Learning about the connection between faith and service to the poor and underprivileged
Field trips to nursing homes to sing Christmas carols
Classrooms visits by priests, deacons and women religious
Learning different ways to pray
Awards assemblies that begin with prayer
Sports leagues that begin each game with prayer
Student council meetings that begin with prayer
Becoming comfortable talking about God and faith with peers
Spending more hours a day in a room with a crucifix than in a room with a television
Learning the history of the Catholic Church
Acquiring the skills to spread the good news to all corners of the world
Opportunities for Eucharistic Adoration
Learning about the only thing that really matters: a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, lived out in a community of faith guided by the Holy Spirit, in order to more deeply and devoutly follow will of the Father
Catholic Schools Week!

January 24, 2011January 23, 2011

Catholic Schools Week 2011 in the News

Catholic Schools Week officially begins next week on January 30, 2011, but some schools are so excited they just can’t wait. Here’s a roundup of stories featuring what some schools are doing this year:

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January 20, 2011January 19, 2011

Help a Catholic School Win $50,000

With Catholic Schools Week just around the corner, here is your chance to make a huge difference to one Catholic grade school. Piqua Catholic School in Piqua, Ohio is competing for a $50,000 prize from Pepsi. The school’s gym floor is over fifty years old, and if the school wins the money they plan on installing a new floor as well as initiating a before- and after-school fitness program and providing other equipment to make their school a safer place. To help them, simply text 104632 to 73774. You can vote up to three times per day. The ten schools receiving the most votes by January 31, 2011, each win $50,000. Right now, Piqua is in 5th place and they could use your vote! If you don’t use texting, head on over to their page and vote via the web.

Looks like a great cause. But don’t take my word for it. Let the students themselves tell you their story:

And here’s what Piqua’s local TV station had to say about the contest:

You could also help out by spreading the news to your friends on Facebook and Twitter.