CT/JOE SIMON

LaSalle High School Chorale performs "Blue Moon."

Fun, faith-filled activities slated for Schools Week

ARCHDIOCESE — The 117 Catholic elementary and secondary schools in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati will mark the 34th annual Catholic Schools Week, Jan. 27 through Feb. 2, with a full plate of fun and inspirational activities as they celebrate "Catholic Schools Light the Way." Some of the scheduled activities schools told The Catholic Telegraph about include:

Sunday, Jan. 29: Many parishes will begin the week by having stud

ents assume highly visible roles in the Sunday liturgy such as lectoring, cantoring and reading petitions that reflect Catholic Schools Week, as well as thanking parishioners before Mass for their support. Another common practice is to hold an open-house in the school.

In Dayton, the 19th annual Cage Classic, basketball games arranged among the Greater Miami Valley’s six Catholic high schools, will be held at the University of Dayton Arena. The game schedule is: noon, Lehman versus Catholic Central (girls); 1:45 p.m., Catholic Central versus Lehman (boys); 3:15 p.m., Carroll versus Fenwick (girls); 5 p.m., Fenwick versus Carroll (boys); 6:30 p.m., Alter versus Chaminade-Julienne (girls); and 8:15 p.m., Chaminade-Julienne versus Alter (boys). Tickets are $5 presale, $6 at the door. Elementary-age school students and younger are admitted free. Students in grades 5-8 may enter drawings for one of three $1,000 scholarships to any area Catholic high school. The Creative Spirit Art Exhibit, a free exhibition of student artwork from 23 area elementary and high schools, will be held in the west wing of UD Arena.

Throughout the week: In one of many service projects undertaken by Catholic schools this week, students at St. John the Baptist School in Dry Ridge will be collecting baby items to donate to Pregnancy Center West.

Monday, Jan. 28: It’s Turn-around Day at St. Aloysius on the Ohio School, where teachers and junior-high students trade places from 8 to 11 a.m. Students of St. Clement School in St. Bernard and their parents will have an opportunity to take part in science experiments set up in the gym from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Students of Guardian Angels School in Mt. Washington will wear T-shirts celebrating GA’s recognition as a national Blue Ribbon School. Staff at St. Francis Seraph School in Over-the-Rhine will dress in Catholic school uniforms, preferably of their alma mater. Students at St. Helen School, Riverside, will be assembling decorated "birthday bags" (cake mix, frosting, candles, plates, cups, napkins and candles) to be given out through the Assumption food pantry in Dayton.

Tuesday, Jan. 29: Elder High School in Price Hill has a Skyline Chili Day with alum Joe Lambrinides (class of 1972) hosting a special lunch for the students. It’s hats on for education at St. Susanna School in Mason, Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Anderson Township and St. Michael School in Sharonville, where students are permitted to depart from uniform rules by wearing a crazy hat to school. John XXXIII Catholic School in Middletown celebrates its 35th anniversary with an all-school Mass in the gym at 8:30 a.m. featuring the blessing of throats. It’s grandparents’ day at Mary, Help of Christians Elementary School in Fairborn. Grandparents are invited to have lunch with their grandchildren and then accompany them to recess. Afterward they can come to the classroom and participate in various activities planned to enhance their grandchild’s learning, such as reading with their grandchild. Members of the Rosary Altar Society and the Daughters of Isabella are also invited to be with any student whose grandparents are unavailable. At Lehman Catholic High School in Sidney, sixth-graders from Holy Angels in Sidney, Piqua Catholic, St. Patrick in Troy, Holy Rosary in St. Marys, Immaculate Conception in Celina, and St. Mary in Greenville will visit from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. They will participate in a prayer service, take a tour of the school, watch a slide show, and join student ambassadors for small group sessions and lunch. St. Christopher School in Vandalia will present nationally recognized speaker Ann Anzalone speaking to parents on "Nutrition and Brain Development" at 7 p.m. in the church.

Wednesday, Jan. 30: Father Rob Waller, pastor of St. Andrew Church in Milford, presides at a special 10 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains in downtown Cincinnati with more than 1,000 students and guests in attendance. Churches throughout the archdiocese will ring their bells at 10 a.m. to celebrate Catholic schools. Cincinnati Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk will preside at a 10 a.m. Mass at St. Christopher Church in Vandalia for Catholic schools of the Miami Valley, with more than 600 students and their guests in attendance.

Thursday, Jan. 31: In honor of the 50th anniversary of their school, students at St. Louis School in Owensville will wear clothes in the style of the 1950s. Students at St. Michael the Archangel School in Ripley will come to school dressed as a saint, prepared to tell that saint’s story to the other students.

Friday, Feb. 1: A number of parishes close out the week with student-faculty volleyball games, including the new St. Nicholas Academy in Deer Park. St. Louis School in Owensville will have karaoke in the cafeteria, singing songs with the theme of "light," from 11:40 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. St. Vivian School in Finneytown honors Stephen Zinser, principal of St. Vincent Ferrer School, as a distinguished alum (class of 1965) during an 8:15 a.m. all-school Mass. A school-wide mission festival at St. Bernard School in Taylor’s Creek will raise money for St. Julie School in Uganda. Incarnation School in Centerville will hold two sessions of bingo, 9:45 a.m. and 1:15 p.m., for grandparents of the students.

Other schools throughout the archdiocese will have lunches for parents, grandparents, teachers and volunteers; special decorations; out of uniform days; carnivals; art and science fairs; talent shows; and other programs. In coming editions of The Catholic Telegraph, look for photographs of these and other events from Catholic Schools Week.