2F Sunday, January 29, 2012
Catholic Schools Week 2012
Students: It’s more than academics DENNIS FRIEND DFRIEND@NONPAREILONLINE.COM
The 2012 National Catholic Schools Week starts today. St. Albert Schools will hold an open house today from 1 to 3 p.m. to allow families to tour the school, meet the staff and learn more about a Catholic education. The students themselves say the concept behind a Catholic school education is to provide both a quality education and a faith-based environment, allowing the students to learn about their religion while receiving academic training. For Pat Martin, tradition and discipline help separate St. Albert from other schools. “St. Albert consistently scores higher on standardized tests and has a greater graduation rate than other schools nearby,” he said, and the stricter Catholic
Staff photo/Dennis Friend
St. Albert students say they learned more than academics at a Catholic School. Pictured are, front row from left, Nichole Bighia, Joe Avey, Haley Scanlan and Ian Baer. Back row from left, Pat Martin, Ben Hecker and Josh Cochran. school environment “has taught me to discipline myself.” The Catholic high school
graduation rate for 2010-11 in Iowa was 100 percent, and an average of 97 percent of those
graduates attended post-secondary education. “People are held to a higher standard here, and that is a good thing,” Ian Baer said, adding “We are held to a higher standard in the real world.” According to Joe Avey, one of the most important factors is the student-teacher relationship, the give and take in the learning environment. “It is on a personal level where we can ask for help or give examples from our own lives,” he said, adding, “our teachers actually care about my success.” “From the start of my education, I have been attending a Catholic school,” Nicole Bighia said. “Being in this kind of environment has really allowed me to grow in my faith and everyday
schools are held to very high standards, help each child reach his or her potential. Service, the giving of one’s time and effort to help others, is taught both as an expression of faith and good citizenship.
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Why the theme is ‘Faith. Academics. Service.’ The theme for Catholic Schools Week 2012 is “Catholic Schools: Faith. Academics. Service.” The annual observance starts the last Sunday in January and runs all week, which in 2012 is today through Feb. 5. Schools celebrate Catholic Schools Week with masses, open houses and activities for students, families, parishioners and the community at large. The theme focuses on three priorities that Catholic schools establish that make them stand out from other educational institutions. Children are taught faith – not just the basics of Christianity, but how to have a relationship with God. Academics, which in Catholic
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