This year, Catholic Education Week runs the first week of May, and schools within the Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools in Alberta ironed out plans last year that honoured and celebrated the Catholic education spirit.
CCSTA wants to highlight all the good things these schools did last year to inspire us to honour this year’s celebrations. It’s also a time to prepare for World Catholic Education Day, which happens on May 25, 2017.
Every year, 40 days after Easter on Ascension Thursday, Catholics across the globe give thanks for the gift that is Catholic education through the celebration of World Catholic Education Day.
The Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools put together an impressive week-long schedule that involved nature, prayer, kindness, and more.
To get us inspired for the week, here’s just a sample of their schools’ activities from 2016:
St. Dominic Catholic High School
- Grade 9 students went for a nature walk and picked up garbage throughout the community.
- Grade 10 students created compost bins for the foods classes and breakfast club to use. They also built birdhouses to give away to the community and also placed a few in the forest behind the school.
- Grade 11 students challenged the school community to post a photo of how they spend time outdoors on Instagram with the hashtag #dominACT
- The Grade 12 students planted a legacy forest. Each graduating student planted a tree in the green space west of the school parking lot.
St. Matthew Catholic School
- The school community began the week with prayer outdoors before school begins.
St. Elizabeth Seton School
- A representative from CARE (Central Alberta Refugee Effort) taught Grade 1 students about different cultures in the world.
St. Matthew Catholic School
- Elementary students wrote prayers and drew pictures to thank God for his creation.
École Secondaire Notre Dame High School
- Students stopped by the Gathering Area at lunch to pick up a packet of wildflower seeds to help bring beauty to the community!
St. Patrick’s Community School
- After reading the story “It’s Earth Day” by Mercer Mayer and watching the story of creation, Kindergarten students brainstormed ways to take care of our Earth. These ideas were put onto sticky notes and posted around the classroom.
- Grade 3 students created a prayer and a personalized bead for their classroom rosary.
- Grade 7 students planted various vegetables in their raised garden bed which will also help to clean the air.
Then, one class from each school participated in a division-wide liturgy at Sacred Heart parish for World Catholic Education Day.
These schools’ activities bring so many great ideas that other schools from across Canada can adopt for this year’s Catholic Education Week and World Catholic Education Day.
Also, the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association has put together an impressive resource list for all grade levels. Access the OCSTA World Catholic Education Day resources.
Tell us: How does your school plan to celebrate Catholic Education Week and World Catholic Education Day this year?
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This year World Catholic Education Day is on May 25, 2017.
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