Second Marking Period Off to a Busy Start

After a very exciting and busy first marking period, the second marking period has left no room for the weary. We are off and running with another exciting and busy marking period.

● At the end of October, middle and high school students decorated their section of the hallway as a part of a contest. The 7th grade class took first place and the 9th grade class took second. Elementary teachers did not want to be outdone, so they decorated their classroom doors for fun.

● The Friday before Halloween was an extremely busy day. Middle and high school students could wear a costume to school. They held a contest with winners in a variety of categories. The winners from the hall decorating competition smashed pumpkins in the parking lot as a part of their reward for winning. Elementary students wore their costumes in the afternoon and celebrated in their classrooms with a party. Students in grades 6-9 had a lip synch contest as a part of their English class.

● Senior Brice Cook volunteered to have his head shaved if St. Patrick School raised $500 for Positive Solutions Informed Choices. We successfully raised the money right away. On top of the $500 that was raised, another $397 was raised which will be used toward supplies for our Day of Giving the Tuesday before Thanksgiving Break. On Thursday, November 5, the three individuals who donated the most money to the cause, had the opportunity to shave Brice’s head.

● On Friday, November 6, our school held a parade around the school for freshman Laynie Meredith and sophomore Cozie Brown. Both runners advanced to the state finals in cross country. It is the first time St. Patrick High School had two runners advance to the state finals in the same season. Laynie finished 77th and Cozie finished 82nd out of 245 scheduled runners.

● Our football team currently has a record of 8-0 and has advanced to the quarterfinals in football.

● On Friday, November 13, St. Patrick School will host a “Relax” Day. The purpose of this day is to encourage healthy coping strategies for stress and anxiety. Activities will include crafts, games, guided mindfulness, mindful stretching, a free hour, and watching the movie Inside Out.

● Our next event is our Day of Giving which will take place on Tuesday, November 24. We are hosting a Red Cross Blood Drive in our Parish Hall that is scheduled to take place from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We also have other activities planned for this date which include preparing shoe boxes for the Christmas Shoebox Giving program, and making blankets for foster kids and to donate to Sparrow Hospital.

Our students, teachers, and school families continue to put their best foot forward as we try to give our students the best educational and extracurricular opportunities possible despite the challenges we face. We continue with the goal we had at the start of the school year which is to find the safest and best way to keep our students in school and still maintain as much normalcy as possible. Together We Pray! We Learn! We Achieve!

Randy Hodge is the High School Principal at St. Patrick Catholic School.