Celebrating Our Education
National Catholic Schools Week is the annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. CSW began in 1974. The celebration starts the last Sunday in January and runs all week. The theme was “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service.” The theme was carried over from last year.
The NCSW celebration at Holy Family and Sacred Heart Schools was chock full of events for students, alumni and the community alike. Each day of the week was set aside for a specific celebration of how the theme of Faith, Knowledge and Service was carried out in the parish, the community, the students, the nation, in vocations and in our faculty, staff and volunteers. Both schools celebrated mass, as well as invited area pastors for special recognition programs as part of their Faith Day. Each school also recognized community servants and heroes such as police, fire, EMT, etc. with their own special day.
Unique events also were woven into the week like Grandparents/Special Friends Day at Sacred Heart School. Students and staff treated guests to a special program and reception. There was also an annual Law Enforcement Basketball Game and Parent Appreciation Dinner held at Sacred Heart School.
Holy Family School had a special day to encourage faith filled service. Students made Valentines for senior citizens and nursing home residents and wrote thank you notes to staff. The day closed with staff and students serving in SHSM’s soup kitchen, The Garden Café.
As a special treat, Action News 5’s Managing Meteorologist and a Catholic school alumni, Ron Childers, came to speak with the students at Holy Family School about the benefits of his Catholic Education. He related to the students well, telling them about his days as an elementary student, his dreams of becoming a disc jockey in high school, and how his education and some inspiration ‘from above’ lead him to his current position of 28 years as a weatherman.
“It was a great day for a drive to Holly Springs today to visit with the students and staff at Holy Family School to celebrate Catholic Schools Week. Fellow BBHS Red Knight Laura Grisham was there and made a yummy WMC Action News 5 cake that we shared with all the kids. So proud of my Catholic education and always happy to share with others what it’s meant for me,” said Childers.
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant issued a proclamation officially recognizing Jan. 25 through 31 as Catholic Schools Week in the state of Mississippi. Gov. Bryant again lauded the work of the Catholic educators in Mississippi, citing the “incalculable contribution” they have made by providing a comprehensive values-based education to more than 2 million young people in 6,594 Catholic schools throughout the U.S., including the more than 8,100 students in 31 Catholic schools across the state.
The annual Catholic Schools Week celebration is a joint project of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
