Saint Joseph Catholic schools strike right notes for the holiday

photo courtesy of Saint Joseph High School

+ Enlarge

Saint Joseph students and teachers participated in Ogden's Holiday Electric Light Parade this year for the first time.

OGDEN - Students from Saint Joseph Catholic High School and Elementary School, including band members, joined for an inaugural appearance in Ogden's Holiday Electric Light Parade, walking away with the award for "Best Musical Entry."

"The band is always a hit wherever we take them," said Marianne Bischoff, the schools' advancement director, who decided St. Joseph should have a float in the parade because "this is our hometown. It creates awareness for the schools."

Bischoff walked along the band's float during the parade and throughout the route heard people calling "Saint Joe's," she said. "It told me what a huge Catholic population was there, rooting on our float."

Both schools share a music teacher, Alfonso Teneiro, who "mentors (students) and it excites them about music, and it really shows incredibly by the time they're in high school," Bischoff said.

This year, in addition to the performing band, a theater band was formed. The idea came after student musicians successfully performed with the theatrical production of "Little Shop of Horrors."

In addition to participating in the parade, St. Joseph students have undertaken a number of service projects for the holidays. For example, they collected new socks, gloves, mittens and hats, as well as new or gently used coats for the Clothes for Caring drive, which ended Dec. 18. At Thanksgiving, they donated 57 turkeys as well as some cash to Catholic Community Services for the Buck for a Bird stewardship project.

"To do these service projects really does open their eyes to the need that's there and shows them how strong they can be, how they can make a difference," Bischoff said. "They're children, but that is no barrier to making a difference."

This year also marks the second year the elementary school is participating in a toy drive started by two middle school students. Last year, in five days before the Christmas break, the students collected 200 toys. This year, with the middle school student body officers coordinating the event, they hope to break that mark by Dec. 22. The toys will be donated to The Christmas Box House.

The two students, Keyanu Tate and Courtney Higgs, who are now in the eighth grade, came up with the idea for the drive and coordinated it the first year, Bischoff said. "That's when you know you're doing something right; when the students see the need, you don't have to provide them with the opportunity, they see it and they want to do it."

In addition, each grade at the high school has adopted a family through the Sub for Santa program.

This year, the student body officers as an organization decided to adopt another family, bringing the total number of families supported by the school to five.

"We had money left over (in our student body officer fund), and we didn't need it," said student body officer John Bafford, a senior. "There are so many families out there who need help, we thought we should share our funds and at least help one more family."

Bafford said he likes giving because "everyone is always looking to get something at Christmas and there are a lot of people in need, and I like giving to them instead of trying to get something for myself. I have more fun doing this than going to California over the (Christmas) break."

Also, as an example to the students, elementary school teachers and staff are participating in the "Giving Tree" project to provide gifts for 25 students who are in foster care in northern Utah.