Elementary schools affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church
(often called
”
parochial schools
”
because they are generally operated by parishes) have a certain
image in the public mind: they are known for emphasizing the
basics, adopting high standards, and enforcing strict discipline.
But their virtues go far beyond that.
Elementary schools affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church (often called “parochial schools” because they are generally operated by parishes) have a certain image in the public mind: they are known for emphasizing the basics, adopting high standards, and enforcing strict discipline. But their virtues go far beyond that.
St. Mary School has been educating the youth of Gilroy since 1871. As part of its mission, the school involves students in a variety of community outreach activities which illustrate the Catholic social teaching of working toward “the good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.”
This goal is illustrated in the campus-wide Lenten Mission Drive just completed, “Nothing But Nets.” The students learned about the serious health problem of malaria in underdeveloped parts of Africa. The number of instances of the disease, spread by mosquitoes, can be reduced by the simple process of providing nets treated with insecticide to cover the beds of families who live in mosquito-infested areas.
St. Mary’s students ran a fund-raising campaign to provide money for these nets through NothingButNets.net, a nonprofit organization supported by professional athletic leagues. For each $10 donation, a poor villager will receive a bed net. All administrative expenses are paid by the agency.
On March 7, fifth through eighth grade students participated in a “Shoot Out” on the school’s athletic field. After collecting pledges from sponsors, the students enthusiastically shot baskets and kicked soccer goals to raise money for this worthy cause. The total amount raised had not been tabulated by press time, but the students shot 1,507 baskets and goals and over $1,500 has been collected thus far.
St. Mary provides many community service opportunities:
n The school’s Advent Mission Project was called “Jump Start Oakland.” Suggested by a Gilroy alumnus now attending St. Mary’s College in Moraga, students raised funds to purchase supplies for preschools in poor neighborhoods of Oakland.
n Each year at Thanksgiving students focus on support for St. Joseph’s Family Center, the interfaith food pantry and meal program housed in a building next door to the school. Each class strives to collect different food items – last Thanksgiving, students collected ten carts full of groceries plus enough money to buy dozens of turkeys.
n Last year, the students donated funds to Operation Smile, a nonprofit organization that provides surgical procedures to correct disfiguring cleft palates in children. Working with an internet site that matched donations, the school was able to provide funds for 65 operations that cost $240 each.
n A few years ago the students heard from Father Felix Epathemi, a visiting priest from Nigeria who was assigned to Gilroy, about abandoned orphans cared for by the Archdiocese of Obadan. Through car washes, lemonade sales, and other humble efforts they presented his archdiocese with $10,000 for his work when he returned home.
n In years past, the seventh grade religion class decided to help day workers who gathered in front of Home Depot. Heeding Jesus’ call to “feed the hungry,” they prepared bag lunches and delivered them to the workers early in the morning before class.
n More recently, goods like socks, toiletries, blankets and sleeping bags were delivered to the National Guard Armory to help those who needed shelter during the cold and wet winter evenings.
Service to others is also an integral part of the school’s curriculum – many courses contain specific units of instruction related to Catholic teachings. For instance, “Lights, Camera, Action” requires groups of students to choose an important issue and an agency addressing it (like homelessness and Habitat for Humanity). After research and study, the group creates a billboard, Web site or public service announcement to “communicate and enlighten audiences on this tenet.”
Cecile Mantecon, a seventh and eighth grade teacher and the school’s Religion Coordinator, says that the school wants students to “respond to the message of Christ in daily life. They need to understand that they are no longer just responsible for their own well-being. When they learn that it feels good to be selfless, they will continue to live their lives in service to others.”
