“Catholic Schools: United in Faith and Community” is the theme of National Catholic Schools Week at St. Francis Xavier (SFX)Catholic School in Merrill, Jan. 26 thru Feb. 1, with students spreading their love of Jesus and service to the community. The kids will have many opportunities to dress up and show their personalities. It will be a time of bonding and togetherness while doing faith-filled activities.
These include singing the Divine Mercy Chaplet and praying a rosary while walking through the school and parish office. Cards to all parents and parishioners will be written and sent out by students and teachers thanking them for all their help and support. Students will also be spending most of their time with church buddies. One activity will be a snowman building competition. This is weather dependent, but is a perfect opportunity to spend time with kids of different ages and spend time with one another.
“We spend time with our church buddies to learn how to work with someone who is not on our level, and we get to work together with that person to complete the project,” said Mrs. Homan, 4th and 5th grade teacher.
Adoration and Mass with church buddies are main events during St. Francis’s special week. These two activities play big parts in their school community. Teachers and students come together in prayer and spend time with the Lord.
“During adoration, we’re supposed to be meditating on the mercy of Christ and what it does for us as a group. It sets everybody’s heart and mind at the same time. It allows you to kind of have a communal prayer, a time of reflection, and it’s not very common that you get a bunch of people in the same room thinking the same thing, taking the opportunity to reflect on the mercy of God. It gives everybody a chance to be on the same plane for a little while and maybe figure out some of the same things,” Mr. Bialecki said.
“Catholic Schools Week is a time to celebrate our Catholic identity. We work hard throughout the year, so Catholic Schools Week gives us a time to play and celebrate together as a school,” said Mrs. Shimel, SFX principal. “Every day our students repeat our school’s tagline: service, faith, excellence. Throughout the year, we’ve done numerous service projects already. We visit Pine Crest weekly to pray with the residents, we’ve collected items for the victims of the North Carolina hurricanes, and we’ve collected Christmas gifts for the residents at Pine Crest. During Catholic Schools Week, we always choose a foundation to serve. This year, we’ll be making and sending valentines to veterans that live in veteran living facilities throughout Wisconsin.”
The kids are also going to be able to dress up as different things for each day of the week. On Monday, the kids are celebrating USA Day. Neon Day is on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the kids are going to be dressing up as different sports players or sports teams. Thursday is Dress Up For Jesus Day. Then on Friday, the kids are going to have a Topsy Turvy Day. They can wear crazy socks, crazy hats, and there will be classroom swaps and teacher swaps. The students are looking forward to doing all these fun activities.
“Catholic schools teach faith in every aspect of education, which helps develop students physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually. Through our Catholic faith, we learn values, thrive on academic excellence, and learn about our community and ways we can serve others,” Mrs. Shimel said.
We asked an SFX student, “In your perspective, what are the benefits of having a Catholic education?”
“Better education and you have the benefits of being able to go to church and confession. You’re able to have good friends because they are closer to Jesus. You’re able to grow closer to Jesus through the education you have and your friends,” said Owen Peterson, a student in sixth grade.
There will be an Open House Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, from 4-6 p.m. The public is invited to come meet the teachers, see the school and get registration materials for next year. Future preschool and 4K families are highly encouraged to attend, as these classes fill up quickly. The 4th and 5th graders’ Saint Wax Museum will also be taking place during this time. Everyone is welcome.
Catholic Schools Week will be a time to celebrate and grow students’ relationships with Jesus and as a school. The week will end with a family glow dance.
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