St. Mary of the Lakes School is gearing up to celebrate Catholic Schools from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6, 2021. The theme for this year is ‘Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.’ Typically the school opens its doors to prospective families and has many ongoing events and celebrations throughout the week. While this year may look a little different, St. Mary of the Lakes still has a fun and fulfilling week planned.
Principal Maria Sobel adds, “With the past year being so hard on our students, we wanted to make sure that they were able to have some normalcy and a little fun to celebrate attending Catholic school, and we are excited for all of the activities we have planned.”
St. Mary of the Lakes will now be holding Day of Service on Monday, February 8th. Students will be making toiletry kits for Cathedral Kitchen, decorating pots and planting flowers for the residents of Medford Leas, as well as creating thank you posters for the First Responder Breakfast Parade taking place on Wednesday.
The First Responder Drive-through Breakfast has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 9:30am. The students will line the parking lot and first responders will drive through and
not only receive the cheers and appreciation from the students but a prepackaged, bagged
breakfast including items from the Acme, Pop Shop, McDonald’s, Philly Pretzel Factory, The
Honey Post and more.
Catholic Schools week will kick off with a socially-distanced Mass held in the Gym at St. Mary of the Lakes School, followed by pre-scheduled tours of the school. All are welcome to attend the Mass, however an appointment must be made for an in-person tour.
Tuesday is all about the students! Students at St. Mary of the Lakes will enjoy a special snack, a dress down day, and an evening free from homework.
Normally, first responders would be invited for a sit-down pancake breakfast in the school. This year, to observe safety precautions, St. Mary of the Lakes is hosting a First Responder Drive-through Parade Breakfast. The students will line the parking lot at 9:30am and first responders will drive through and not only receive the cheers and appreciation from the students but a prepackaged, bagged breakfast including items from the Pop Shop, McDonald’s Philly Pretzel Factory and more.
Thursday is celebrating vocations. Students will hear from St. Mary of the Lakes Parish Pastor Father Dan and learn how to use their God-given talents throughout their lives and careers.
Father Dan shares, “One of many value adds of a Catholic education is we have the ability to couch all adversity in terms of our Catholic faith. People of faith deal with adversity better than those without faith. We can teach that after every Good Friday (the pandemic is a prime example) comes an Easter Sunday.”
Friday is faculty, staff and volunteer appreciation and Saturday is celebrating parents.
Catholic Schools Week is a chance to highlight and showcase what makes Catholic schools the best when families are looking for a good fit for their children. St. Mary of the Lakes has been so fortunate to be open five days a week for in-person learning and are looking forward to celebrating our gratitude and accomplishments. If anyone is interested in learning more information or scheduling an in-person tour please contact [email protected].
UPDATE 2/2/20 5.p.m.: Some event dates have changed due to inclement weather. The story was updated to reflect those changes.
