Holy Cross to celebrate Catholic Schools Week Jan. 25-31
With the theme, "Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service," students, faculty and parents at Holy Cross School in Batavia will join Catholic schools nationwide to celebrate Catholic Schools Week Jan. 25-31.
"National Catholic Schools Week is an opportunity to showcase the academic excellence and faith-filled education that Catholic schools provide for students across the country," said National Catholic Education Association president Brother Robert Bimonte, FCS.
According to a recent NCEA study, more than 30 percent of the nation's 6,594 Catholic schools have waiting lists for attendance and graduation rates at Catholic schools remain high - 99 percent vs. 78 percent of public school students. Over the last year, 42 new schools opened in the United States.
"The self-disciplines taught in Catholic schools are not forced, but rather highlighted like a GPS map, turn by turn, illuminating a higher spiritual awareness, which promotes more respect for yourself, and for others, leading one to recognize opportunities for service, and thereby supporting the exploration of individual gifts and talents," explains Alex Vandenberg, former Holy Cross student who currently attends Marmion and recently received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. "I feel my leadership has grown through the ideal that one must lead oneself before they can lead others, and have felt supported through my relationships with religious leaders, administration, instructors, and my school community of like-minded families and friends."
Service projects and activities are scheduled throughout the celebratory week at Holy Cross. Students will be collecting change for a school in Africa, collecting toiletries for Hesed House, making Valentine's Day cards for residents of Marklund, and collecting food for the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry.
The week also will include a Night of Wonders, during which students will showcase special projects and a Business Fair coordinated by the eighth-grade students.
"Family values and faith often fall to the bottom of the priority list in these busy times," said Father James Parker, pastor at Holy Cross Church. "Catholic schools bring the focus back to compassion, respect, responsibility and service to others, providing young people with a solid foundation to make a positive impact in the world."
About Holy Cross Catholic School
As the first new school in the Rockford Diocese to open in over 30 years, Holy Cross School has provided academically challenging, faith-based education to over 700 students since 2008. As a Catholic educational community, Holy Cross prepares students academically, spiritually, and morally for the opportunities and responsibilities of the future. Holy Cross educates students beyond the fundamentals focusing on the significance of individualized learning, cooperation, responsibility, respect, and service to others. For details, visit www.holycross-batavia.org or call (630) 593-5290.
About National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA)
Established in 1904, NCEA is the largest private professional education organization in the world, representing 150,000 Catholic educators serving 6 million students in Catholic elementary and secondary schools, in religious education programs, in seminaries, and in colleges and universities. For more information, visit www.ncea.org.