After the snow, Academy Middle School students were thinking of summer, warm beaches and ocean fun! Middle School students took part in a Lenten fundraiser on Thursday, Feb. 28 for the benefit of Hurricane Sandy victims. For a minimum donation of $2, students in Fifth through Eighth Classes were out of uniform, played volleyball during PE and international language classes, and enjoyed some flavor ice at lunch. The volleyball teams were organized by spirit teams—the Red team raised the most money while the White team won the most games.

The day’s proceeds of $1,080 will benefit the “Sandy Ground Project: Where Angels Play.” Twenty-six parks will be built along the New Jersey, New York and Connecticut coasts that have been devastated. Each will be named in honor of one of the 26 children and adults who lost their lives at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn.

In honor of National Engineers Week (Feb. 17–23), the Sixth Class welcomed Academy parent Mr. Kevin Swearingen to their classroom today. An electrical engineer at the Boeing Corporation, Mr. Swearingen spoke about what engineers do and about the different types of engineers. He described some of his projects, including working on an aircraft carrier and solving problems on planes, and spoke about the design process used by engineers. Sixth Class students got to build an airplane of sorts utilizing this same design process. Many thanks to Mr. Swearingen for sharing his time and knowledge with Academy students!

Engineers Week celebrates the positive contributions engineers make to society and is a catalyst for outreach across the country to children and adults alike.

More than a dozen high school seniors returned to their Alma Mater recently to talk about the expectations and challenges of high school life. Nine girls met with the Eighth Class girls and four boys met with the Eighth Class boys, offering their unique perspectives and answering the students’ questions. We very much appreciate these graduates’ time on a Friday afternoon, as well as their willingness to share their experiences with the Class of 2013.

Lent is a time of reflection, repentance and growth. Sister Glavin invites us to be attentive to our footprint.

Our Ash Wednesday liturgy on Feb. 13 will take place at 9:30 a.m. at St. Charles Borromeo.

Education opens doors to a better way of life. The Fourth Class is coordinating two projects that will enable the Academy to join with the Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami, Florida, the University of Miami, and Partners in Health to build Notre Dame de La Colline School in the impoverished country of Haiti. We want to help provide Haitian children with opportunities to become all God has created them to be.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in designating a different American Saint for each month of this Year of Faith, have named February the “Month of Philippine.” To contribute to the celebration, members of the Sacred Heart family from around the country are sharing reflections, homilies, poems and prayers― something different for each day of the month. The opening reflection, “Philippine: Woman with a Global Heart” is by Sister Glavin. See it on the Society website, www.rscj.org.
 
We at the Academy of the Sacred Heart are proud to be the stewards of Philippine’s first and last American school, stewards of her inspirational story, stewards of her saintly remains, and stewards of her holy example through our lives and our loves.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MR. JOHN STORJOHANN

Plan now to attend our 11th annual tropical Trivia Night on Saturday, Feb. 2 for fun, food, drink and an opportunity to share your vast collection of knowledge! Tables for eight are available. In addition to trivia, a bottle booth and 50/50 drawing, there’ll be a Silent Auction featuring sports memorabilia, photos, plaques and items celebrating St. Louis favorites. Click here for more Trivia Night info. For further information, call 636-946-5632.

The Pre-Primary children enjoyed decorating their “Kingdom” recently as they learned about the letter “K.”   They created windows, painted bricks, added glitter and attached a door Knob. The children decorated  crowns with their names so they could be “King” of their kingdom. Next, they will let their imaginations run WILD for “W” week as they play inside the beautifully decorated kingdom.

We look forward to welcoming prospective families to our Winter Open House on Wednesday, Jan. 16. We’ll begin in the Conference Room with a 9 a.m. presentation by Sister Maureen Glavin and our two Principals, followed by tours of the school given by our Seventh and Eighth Class Student Ambassadors from 9:45 to 11 a.m. All are welcome to join us for this glimpse into our classrooms, questions and answers, refreshments and more. For further information, contact Admissions Director Lisa Tebbe at 636-946-6127, ext. 1620 or admissions@ash1818.org.

As we move toward the culmination of the Christmas season, Sister Glavin describes her prayer for the new year.

The Academy community celebrated its annual Christmas Basket Mass Dec. 18. Continuing a decades-long tradition, school families donated hundreds of baskets, boxes and cartons of food containing all the ingredients for a holiday meal. Our older students helped transport the baskets from the car pool line to the bleachers. Generosity and gratitude were tangible at the all-school Mass with Father Richard Tillman presiding. Afterward, the baskets were taken to a dozen area agencies and parishes for area families in need.

During the liturgy, the Mothers’ Club officers presented Sr. Glavin with a check to support the Sister Anna Mae Marheineke Enrichment Fund, technology and capital improvements.

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