Saint Elizabeth Parish School is not just a learning institution. It is a deeply invested community.
In an often cold and demanding world, Saint Elizabeth Parish School’s warm community of faith offers an immeasurably important springboard in children’s lives, and in ours. Undoubtedly, the school prepares the mind, but it prepares the soul as well. During Catholic Schools Week 2022, we asked three Saint Elizabeth teachers to highlight unique ways that Catholic education enriches the lives of its students.
Building Friendship in Community
Mrs. Hogarth, a sixth grade homeroom teacher, launched the Adventure Club in January 2022. Geared to upper grade students, the club is a monthly activity designed to promote a sense of school community while helping others and having fun, too. The “adventures” take students to places like Urban Air, Arnold’s Family Fun Center, Bear Creek, and Marsh Creek.
Each trip is tied to a community service activity. In January, the students coordinated a school-wide Blessing Bag event where donations were used to create 210 Blessing Bags plus several boxes of supplies, gift cards, and Valentine’s Day treats for two homeless shelters in Philadelphia. Saint Elizabeth school’s Student Council and Adventure Club students assembled the bags for grateful recipients.
In February, the Adventure Club delivered Super Bowl “parties” to about 45 guests in homeless shelters in Phoenixville. In partnership with Acme Markets, students were excited to bring a Super Bowl party-in-a-box to shelter residents so they could enjoy good fun, football, and food on February 13!
Keeping the Arts Central to Learning
Art teacher Mrs. Schmalbach initiated a celebration of all the wonderful things that our parish school provides to our community, including the ongoing exposure to art and literature – manifested in the school’s “Door Decorating Contest.” The first-floor students, PreK-4 to fourth grade, voted for the best door on the second floor, grades 5-8; and vice versa. The winning door on the first floor was third grade, Mrs. Nemic. It was inspired by the book “The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors” by Drew Daywalt. Mrs. Fraser’s seventh-grade door won on the second floor. It was inspired by the popular “I Survived” series of historical fiction for young adults. Students and teachers got creative with all of their door decorations. Pictures were also posted on Facebook.
Academic Excellence Doubles as Stewardship
Mrs. Schoen’s unique “Extreme Coupon” challenge for the seventh-grade students showcases Math in the real world while also helping others in need. After learning what coupons are and how to use them correctly, the students took their coupons and $10 to shop for great deals. They had about eight weeks to purchase as many deals as they could leveraging coupons. They shared deals with one another during “Coupon Days” in class and learned how to use store apps and websites to make the most of their money. At the end of the project, 12 students spent a grand total of $84.96 and purchased 259 items worth a retail value of $698.69. They saved an impressive $613.73, or 88%! All purchases went to either The Lord’s Pantry in Downingtown or the Veteran’s Group of Philadelphia.
Special thanks to Ms. Quinn (grandmother of one of the students) who came in to talk to the students about using coupons and websites, and to Mrs. Oulton (parish school secretary) who delivered the items.
As a community, we celebrate our successes and achievements uniting in solidarity, and even challenge each other to become better reflections of the divine. We are made for community.
~ Dr. Diane Greco, Principal
Saint Elizabeth Parish School