News

VC, St. Patrick, St. Stephen set for Catholic Schools Week

Catholic Schools Week is set to begin Sunday and continue through Friday, Feb. 4, with activities to highlight the theme "Catholic Schools: Dividends For Life."

Catholic schools all around the world will join in the celebration, and St. Patrick in Franklin, St. Stephen in Oil City and Venango Catholic High School in Oil City will be active participants.

The week emphasizes the role of Catholic education in the lives of students and highlights the positive impact their faith has in their communities and the world. The "Dividends for Life" theme focuses on the faith, knowledge, morals and discipline of a Catholic education.

Venango Catholic will host events involving students from all three schools on Thursday, Feb. 4, and Friday, Feb. 5.

A prayer service with family entertainment, fellowship, refreshments and music will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4, at VC. Parents of students from the three schools along with any other visitors are welcome to attend this event.

On Feb. 5, the students will gather at VC again for a daytime celebration featuring activities, games, music and prayer.

The Rev. Paul Siebert, a 1975 VC graduate, and The Feroz Brothers, also VC graduates, will entertain the students with their music at 11 a.m. The day will end with a Mass at 1 p.m. in the VC gym concelebrated by Siebert and the area's local priests.

The public is also invited to the events on Friday.

Here is a rundown of what is happening throughout the week at St. Patrick and St. Stephen:

St. Patrick

St. Patrick students will be featured at the 10 a.m. Mass on Sunday at St. Patrick Church. A "school family" bowling outing is scheduled Sunday afternoon.

Monday will be pajama dressdown day for the students.

On Tuesday, the students will have a dress down day of their choice which may be "topped" off with a hat. Community members are invited to visit the classrooms at the school from 8:25 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday and observe what the students are learning. Refreshments will be available.

The students will have another dress down day Wednesday with a "clashing" theme.

Students will wear their favorite T-shirt or sweatshirt on Thursday. The annual students versus staff volleyball game will be played at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

On Friday, St. Patrick students will join the community at a benefit soup dinner from 4 to 8 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in Franklin. Money raised at the dinner will go toward the Paul Richey Memorial Fund for the family of the Franklin state police trooper who was killed Jan. 13 in the line of duty.

St. Stephen

Some of the activities next week at St. Stephen School will include a teacher appreciation day/lunch, making valentines for the local nursing homes, pajama day, bring a guest to lunch day, a cash booth in which students will be chosen to go into the booth and grab money, and guardian angel day.

In addition, the Crazy George Schauer basketball show will visit the school on Thursday. Crazy George is a former college and pro basketball player who has dedicated his life to motivating young people to never give up, respect their parents and teachers and live drug free.

Originally published in The Derrick January 28, 2010.