Bishop John Noonan Visits St. John Vianney
School
Please Click here to see the video
St. John Vianney School
students were surprised by a very important visitor…someone they
had heard good things about but didn’t expect to meet on a
recent Friday afternoon at the end of January.
Bishop John Noonan was
having a lunchtime meeting at the St. John Vianney Parish
Community Center and, with a little time to spare before leaving
the campus for his next appointment, decided to visit some of
the classrooms. Fr. Tomas Hurtado and Melissa Becker from the
parish office accompanied Bishop Noonan as he was greeted by
Vicki Kuethe, assistant principal, and several members of the
school staff, and kindly posing for pictures along the way. The
Bishop had the opportunity to view 7th & 8th Grade Science Fair
projects which lined the school hallway in anticipation of the
parish Open House that was planned after all masses that coming
weekend-- a celebratory Kick-off to National Catholic Schools
Week.
Mrs. Kuethe answered
questions that the Bishop asked about the projects and the
students who prepared them, then invited him to visit the
Science Lab and the Junior High students. After taking time to
talk with the students and their teachers in the different upper
grade classes (and praying the “Our Father” in Spanish with
Senora Martin as she taught one 8th grade language class), the
group then moved on to Kindergarten to visit the little ones.
The students there were
ready to share songs and answer questions from our new bishop,
thrilled that he would sing along with them. In one class it was
“This Little Light of Mine” and the next was, according to the
teachers, a Kindergarten favorite from school Mass-“Halle, Halle,
Halleluia,” complete with clapping and hand movements.(see
video)
After proclaiming that
they must be “the best singers in the whole school” Bishop
Noonan promised the Kindergarten that he’d be back to visit the
other classrooms on another day.
We can’t wait!
Bishop John Noonan visits with students in teacher Kathy
Foster's English class.
Bishop John Noonan prays with Junior High students on his recent
visit to the school.
Bishop Noonan, Assistant Principal Mrs. Kuethe and Fr.
Tomas Hurtado visits with teacher Charlotte Funston's Junior
High class during the Bishop's visit to the school.
 
Celebrating Lent at St. John Vianney Catholic School is
wonderful. Students learn about Christ's miracles and
sacrifices in a loving and spiritual environment. Each grade
is doing a different Lenten project that they work on
throughout the season. In Pre-K 3, Mrs. Parks is having her
students bring in their favorite food items that they will
donate to St. Vincent de Paul Society at the end of Lent.
When I
asked one of the students, Mackenzie, what she brought in,
her immediate response was, “I want to show you.” She
brought green beans and mandarin oranges. When she showed me
these items, I asked her how it makes her feel that someone
doesn't have as much food as she does. She thought about it
for a moment and answered, “It makes me feel bad.” It is
amazing that 3-year-olds are able to grow in their faith and
that they are able to understand what they are doing at such
a young age. Ms. Tracey Ternent, the assistant teacher, told
me, “We are going to have to turn in our donations today,
March 10, because our table is overflowing with the kid's
food!”
One of
the kindergarten classes has a jellybean prayer jar.
Different color jellybeans are earned for doing different
things. For example, red is for the blood Christ gave. Each
morning they choose something to sacrifice for the day to be
able to earn the red jellybean. On Easter morning, the
children will get to eat the jellybeans they earned and then
they will earn their white jellybean.
One of
the 1st grade classes is making cards for the troops every
Friday during Lent and collecting money for the poor. Second
graders are “Religion Buddies” with the sixth graders. Third
grade is participating in a number of projects during Lent.
They are praying the Stations of the Cross every week, and
they are also sponsoring a bake sale. All the proceeds from
the bake sale will go to an area that is “in need.”
Fourth
graders are creating Stations of the Cross booklets. Fifth
and sixth graders are raising money from doing chores for
family members, friends, and neighbors. On April 16 they
will go on a field trip to purchase food to donate to the
St. Vincent de Paul food pantry.
The
middle school students are volunteering at our weekly Fish
Fry. Tommy has volunteered at the Fish Fry and I asked him
how it helped him grow in his faith. He replied, “It helps
me act like Jesus by serving others.” From Pre-k 3 to middle
school, Lent at St. John Vianney Catholic School is a
wonderful experience.
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