January 21, 1998
Event celebrates Catholic schools
Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools will celebrate its importance in the community with a week of special events beginning Saturday.
The celebration is part of national Catholic Schools Week, which began in 1974 and is observed by more than 8,000 Catholic schools nationwide.
"It's for all of us here in the Catholic community to celebrate the importance and impact of Catholic schools," school Superintendent Mary Oosterhouse said. Catholic School graduates become quality workers and civic-minded citizens, she said.
Catholic Schools Week gets under way locally at 6 p.m. Saturday at the St. Francis gym with an "All School Family Dance."
On Sunday, students will read announcements at the close of mass at all five area parishes. The parishes are St. Francis Church and Immaculate Conception Church in Traverse City, St. Joseph Parish Hall in Peninsula Township, St. Patrick's Catholic Church near Grawn and Christ the King Catholic Church in Acme.
On Monday, all students can wear hats to schools during "Hat's Off to Catholic Schools."
"It's a good break for the kids," said Kelly Rohe, development director for the Catholic Schools. "They don't get to do stuff like that, so they think it's neat."
And from 1 to 2 p.m. Monday, staff tip off against students in a basketball game at Immaculate Conception Middle School gymnasium.
On Tuesday, students will hold a "Community Appreciation Day" luncheon at 12:15 p.m. for as many as 300 area nonprofit employees and volunteers.
"They do so much for the community but don't get thanked as a whole," Rohe said.
On Wednesday, "Blue and Gold Day" encourages students, staff and faculty to dress in school colors to show school pride.
"Half of the week is to get the kids riled up and excited that they go to Catholic schools and half of the week is to let the community aware of Catholic schools," Rohe said.
During the weeklong celebration, Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools will announce its commemorative brick campaign to raise the remaining $500,000 needed for the new $5.5 million middle school under construction. For $100, donors will see their name on a commemorative brick placed in the courtyard of the new school at the corner of Three Mile and Hammond roads.
The 50,000-square-foot school is expected to be open this fall and serve 325 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders in 12 classrooms. Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools serve about 1,300 students in its nursery, elementary and high schools.
The new middle school is the first major construction project for Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools in 32 years.