Tournament Win for our Girls!!

St. Pats - 36
SJV      - 17

A stifling defensive effort led to several easy baskets as the Girl's Fighting Irish Basketball team defeated SJV on Monday night.  This was the third meeting between the two teams during the course of the year and previously each team had one a game.  The Irish got going right from the opening tip smothering SJV with hustle, defense and rebounding.  Olivia Richmond led the Irish with 24 points however this was by far a total team victory.  Teresa Kane, Kristina Samson, Lucy Wade, Ondine Eardley, Liz Pniewski, Bridget and Theresa Myles all contributed with tenacious defense and aggressive rebounding throughout the course of the contest. 

The Irish will play St. Anthony - Blue on 3/1 @ 6:00 PM at the Holy Trinity location for the tournament consolation championship.  Please come cheer the girls on....Go Irish!

Kudos out to head coach Val Stoffer for doing an incredible job this year!  Congratulations to Coach Val and the entire team on an outstanding year!  We are so proud.

School Cancelled

Due to weather, school is closed for Friday 2/24/2012. See you all Monday.

West Catholic High School

February 15, 2012

Dear Parents,

As you may know, this year marks the 50^th Anniversary of West Catholic High School, and throughout the coming months you will be invited to participate in the many events planned for our Anniversary Celebration. While this anniversary certainly will commemorate the past, it also is an opportunity to reflect on the promising future of West Catholic, the inestimable service it continues to provide on the West side and the great importance of Catholic schooling (K-12) in our community.

The Promise of West Catholic

Recently I had the occasion to visit a school whose vitality and spirit can inspire us: a newly established all-girls school in Wixom, Michigan. In the fall of 2010, the doors to a brand new, approximately $25 million school opened expressly for the 10 girls who had enrolled. Two weeks ago, I attended mass with 42 of the 50 students who are currently enrolled. Next year the principal is expecting 70 to enter as freshmen. St. Catherine of Siena Academy was funded and built during one of Michigan’s worst economic recessions, yet in a time of great promise to those who understand the importance of Catholic schooling. Today, St. Catherine’s is thriving and full of promise.

West Catholic High School, too, is full of promise, staffed by a talented, dedicated, energetic faculty.  Its future can be seen in the support of its alumni and its current families; its mission, never clearer. We see the ample evidence in our students’ faith, academic accomplishments and service to others:

·         More than 10 percent of our students are commissioned extraordinary ministers of holy communion, many serving in their local parishes.

·         Graduates received scholarship offers of over $12 million in the past two years.

·         Our seniors leave college ready, earning on average three times the college credit as the average Michigan student entering a four-year institution.

·         Falcon athletic teams have a long tradition of success that includes many league, district and state championships.

·         Students provide hope and help to the dispossessed, homeless and vulnerable through their mission trips, local service projects and Right to Life activities.

Investing in our Future

In a 50-year partnership with our pastors and their parishes, the Valley, the West side, our families and our friends, West Catholic and its partner Catholic elementary schools have played and continue to play an important role in the community. Our communitarian impact is well known: there is strong evidence that Catholic elementary schools are important generators of social capital in neighborhoods; Catholic schools provide social cohesion and collective efficacy; academic achievement is more equitably distributed among all students.

This undeniably important role assures the future of West Catholic, as does unwavering support from our alumni and current families; from Bishop Hurley, Monsignor Stasker and our School Board. Reflective of that support and vision for the future, we have invested heavily in West Catholic:

·         We hired Mrs. Cynthia Kneibel to lead as principal. Her dedication to and love for the community made her hire an easy decision.

·         We returned Campus Ministry to a full-time endeavor when we hired WC alumnus Philip Dolci (‘99).

·         We’ve provided expertise in the instruction of students with special needs. For the first time in our history, we have vested resources for students and faculty alike to ensure academic support for all students.

·         We created an Admissions and Alumni Office, headed by Todd Peters (WC ‘04). Todd brings three years of admissions experience, as well as great pride in his alma mater.

·         We created the Office of Institutional Advancement. Kenneth Baldwin will join the staff on March 1 as Advancement Director. Most recently a Major Gifts Officer at Franciscan University, Ken brings four years of development experience and a strong Catholic faith to our high school.

·         We have embarked on a 50^th Anniversary Fund Development Campaign, blessed with the leadership and continuing support of alumni Diane (Watkoski) Pelak (‘80) and Tom Pelak (‘77), Dan (‘64) and Elaine Arsulowicz, Mike McCarthy  (‘75), Michael Wolfston (‘66), and former faculty members Ed Wagner and Steve Abid along with John Beadling and others.

·         Mike Hofmann (‘88) and John Brechting (‘80) are working on a mini master plan that will prioritize our facility needs and envision the future of the physical plant.

·         We have provided more financial aid than ever to families in the 2011-12 school year, and through the 50^th Anniversary Campaign have pledged to increase the availability of scholarships and aid for those families with need.

All of this enables us to take maximum advantage of our resources; to prepare for West Catholic’s future and to look forward to all that’s possible with optimism and hope – just as surely as the organizers of St. Catherine of Siena Academy did when they opened their school to just 10 young women.

For those of you choosing West Catholic High School for your child’s secondary education I offer my gratitude for the trust you place in our institution. If you decide West Catholic is the right choice for your student yet wonder about affordability, I ask that you speak to Todd Peters or Mrs. Kneibel about financial aid. For those who are undecided, I personally invite you to visit West Catholic, speak to the principal, campus minister, faculty members and students.  I am confident that you will be impressed by our Catholic high school. 

Sincerely,

Tom Maj, President

Grand Rapids Catholic Secondary Schools

Lowell Community Expo

Parents,

Stage acts are needed for the Lowell Community Expo.  Any type of performance is acceptable - singing, dancing, playing musical instrument, acting, etc.  The Expo will be held Saturday, March 24 from 9:00-3:00 at Lowell High School.

Please contact Larry Mikulski @ 485-9476 ASAP if your child would like to share their talent to get a time slot.  You will be able to write your own introduction, what a great way to promote Saint Patrick Catholic School.

If you have questions about Expo please refer your questions to Lisa Mills 794-3106.

Let's Read with TeddyBear!

A highlight for many students every Wednesday is to read with TeddyBear, our very own reading dog! TeddyBear is a best friend to all of us and is it amazing how much he motivates the students to read with him. We thank Kathy Walsh and TeddyBear for taking part in the education of our students at Saint Pat's! Just don't leave any cupcakes around him;)

Teddybear is a certified therapy dog with WMTD., Inc.

Saint Patrick's Living Rosary

 

During Catholic Schools Week, the students at Saint Patrick in Parnell participated in a Living Rosary. Every student in the school took part in leading the prayers to complete the entire Rosary. This demonstration of group worship was done during the recent Very Important Person (VIP) Day that students in the school took part in. Each student had the opportunity to invite one VIP to join them for the morning at Mass, Living Rosary and for a pizza lunch that was provided by the school's parent teacher organization (PTO).

Fightin' Irish Spirit

It was an outstanding Saturday for our student athletes and our entire athletic program. We were fortunate to have all of our teams play in our arena over the weekend. Our athletes competed hard and gave our crowd much to cheer about. One of the many highlights came with the 7th/8th grade team trailing when Ms. Olivia Richmond made an unbelievable steal and basket with 6 seconds left to lead her team to a thrilling victory!


Many students, parents, alumni and staff, along with Father Mark, came to support our students. It was a great weekend and everyone who came left with a feeling of fightin' Irish PRIDE!!