Blessed Sacrament School recognized for integration efforts

photo courtesy of Blessed Sacrament School

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Parents of Blessed Sacrament Catholic School students gather at an information table during the back-to-school BBQ the school hosted for new families Aug. 16. Msgr. Robert Servatious, pastor, opened the event with a prayer.

SANDY — Blessed Sacrament Catholic School is being recognized by the Character Education Partnership (CEP) for its efforts to provide an integral education that encourages academic and ethical growth.

The school has implemented its New Family Mentoring Program for four years and decided it was a worthy Promising Practices awards program candidate. And the judges agreed. Promising Practices are creative initiatives that help students give back to their schools and communities, reach academic goals, and create an amicable and peaceful environment. The New Family Mentoring Program seeks to integrate the entire family into the school’s community and culture.

"When a new family comes to school, we match them with another family who has been part of the school for a longer time and with whom they have something in common, which is usually a child in the same grade. Mentor families are able to answer questions, make the new family feel at home, and invite them to different activities," said Sonia West, advancement director.

"We found people weren’t coming to activities they didn’t know anything about. We found out it was a necessity to make families feel more comfortable and part of the school," said Judy Julian, principal.

The program has proved to be a success. More than 150 people attended the back-to-school BBQ, and the response has been positive all around. The purpose of the mentoring program is to build community, where the main beneficiaries are the children.

"When students feel more at ease, they have better self-esteem and are better students," said West.

Blessed Sacrament is committed to providing a wholesome education that does not just focus on academics, but also in character building. The school aims to extend family values into the classroom, so that by the time graduation comes, the student is a solid citizen, said Julian.

This is the second time Blessed Sacrament is a Character Promising Practices winner, which helps the school demonstrate to parents "they are sending their children to the right place, where something besides academics, like character and service for others, is important," said West.

The award also helps the school share its practices with other educational institutions, so they can replicate them or integrate them into their own initiatives.

There is no need to spend a lot of money on an initiative, said West. But it is indispensable to have "outgoing people who care about their school and community."

West looks forward to the National Forum on Character Education to be held Oct. 29-31, outside of Washington, DC, where the school will receive its award.

"Last year, it was huge. There were more than 1,000 people in attendance. Schools displayed their Promising Practices for others to get ideas; and the keynote speaker was Colin Powell’s wife, who spoke about the importance of education," said West.

CEP will award 170 schools and districts from the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Brazil 200 awards for their Promising Practices in character education. This year, CEP received a record of 360 applications from 274 public and private districts and schools.

Blessed Sacrament is determined to implement another award-winning initiative this school year.

"I have several ideas. One of them has to do with books. It is for Catholic School Week," said West.