Sometimes we take for granted all the blessings we have here at Saint Patrick; however, this week we had two visitors remind me what a special place this is! As I took a long time friend and colleague from NJ on a tour of the School, she commented repeatedly on the beautiful campus, the sunshine that streams into the classrooms, and the spacious classrooms and labs. She admired the artwork and the performance areas and noticed the School’s commitment to the arts. She enjoyed meeting friendly students of all ages and witnessing their enthusiasm for learning. Later that night, she confided in me, “Thank you for showing me around the School today. I really needed a reminder that schools like Saint Patrick exist. The teachers seem happy and enjoy each other’s company, and the students clearly love learning.” I did not have the heart to tell her Saint Patrick is one of a kind!
Debra Wilson, President of Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS), soon to be the President of National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), visited Saint Patrick on Tuesday to work with the Executive Administrative Team and the Board of Directors. Her presentation included information on how to use metrics to improve admissions, advancement, and Human Resources, as well as lessons in governance, best practices, and trends in education.
After collecting data from similar schools around the country, Ms. Wilson’s presentation highlighted Saint Patrick’s many strengths. She specifically applauded our ability to stay true to the school’s mission and acknowledged the benefits of Pre-K to 8 independent Catholic education, in particular the ability to provide foundational skills in a nurturing environment. She noted that Saint Patrick puts students first and pointed to our commitment to wellness, spiritual formation, and character development. This reminder seemed significantly timely as the country faces all-time high teenage suicide and depression rates and schools face unprecedented challenges.We all left the session feeling a little wiser and extremely proud of our Board members, faculty, staff, and entire Wolfhound community!
Students worked together to solve problems during STEM Day's activities!
Our first STEM DAY took place on Wednesday, March 22nd. Each class tackled a different problem solving challenge and worked in groups to find the best possible solution. Pre-K students worked to keep Itsy-Bitsy Spider and his arachnid acquaintances out of the school’s downspouts by creating contraptions that blocked spiders but allowed water to flow freely. After learning about biomimicry in nature, Kindergarten and First Grade students used LEGO and Play-Doh to create structures based on ones found in nature that would help humans. In Second and Third Grades, students developed houses that could withstand a storm of spaghetti and meatballs (or a hurricane) after reading the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Fourth Grade students learned about Earthquakes and how to detect and measure them using a seismograph; then they were tasked with building their own seismograph. Fifth Grade created compost bins--much like the one we have in our Little Sprouts Garden! Sixth Graders hypothesized the best animal enclosure for a gorilla, researching the best way to make a “home away from home” in case the Virginia Zoo wants to bring a new, large primate to town. Seventh Grade students created a bottle rocket that could fly straight and high. They used the back concrete pad as a launch pad, and several had a successful lift-off! Last but not least, our Grade 8 Wolfhounds attempted to develop a water filtration system to clean polluted water.
In addition to the grade level activities, students participated in a “STEM Showcase” with Wolfhound parents Stacie Ringleb and Mark Shoenenburger providing students a hands-on opportunity with robotics and a vertical wind tunnel. Additionally, Sarah Gorman spoke to students about her role as a nuclear engineer with submarines. Thank you to our special guests, who demonstrated how STEM careers can run the gamut, and of course, to our Notre Dame STEM Fellows Ashley Costanza and Amber Seeley for organizing and running STEM Day!
Our March Snapshot tour on Thursday included prospective families as well as Early Childhood Directors, Ancient Hibernians from District 1, and Project Inclusion representatives from the United Way. We love showing off Saint Patrick to people from our community and making new connections. Once again, our student Legati tour guides impressed our visitors with their confidence and poise. If you know anyone who would like to tour the school, please let Advancement know, and we will send an invitation.
The annual Eighth Grade Servant Leadership Awards Dinner took place on Thursday night. Grade 8 Wolfhounds wearing Saint Patrick aprons escorted our honorees and their guests to their tables while Mrs. Smith's Zero Bell Strings students entertained our guests with a musical prelude. Eighth Grade students Annalisa Squatrito and Matthew Woodard opened the ceremony with a violin rendition of the Irish Blessing. Olivia Kohler, Celtic Council President, greeted the audience and introduced our Honorees. After a delicious meal prepared by our very own dining services, four more Grade 8 students introduced each of the Servant Leader honorees from their respective parishes. Sam Cook, Yvonne Rodgers, Mike Kostick, and Margaret Leeman were presented awards after their tributes. We closed with words from founding Board Member Chuck McPhillips. Saint Patrick’s annual tribute to local servant leaders serves not only to celebrate members of our local parishes and community, but to inspire our students and all in attendance with their selfless example.
The 2023 Servant Leadership Award Recipients (clockwise from top left) Margaret Leeman, Sam Cook, Yvonne Rodgers, and Michael Kostick.
The Grade 2 musical and art show closed out the week on a high note. "The Elephant’s Child" gave an explanation for the elephant’s long trunk and encouraged curiosity and community through song. Eighth Graders Matthew Woodard and Emilie Birkel narrated the story and the Second Grade sang joyfully! Parents and grandparents enjoyed the art show following the performance. Many thought that the beautiful and sophisticated art on display belonged to much older students! Kudos to our performing and fine arts team!
2nd Grade students proudly posed with their works of art in the Lindsay Art Connector!
“You’re going down, Mrs. Mazzari!” announced a second grader menacingly. “We are going to dunk you in the dunk tank!” he clarified. I can thank our Advancement team for these unusual threats. Adair Wells, Director of Advancement, challenged the students to help us reach the goal of 450 Evenings Classes sold! As a sales incentive, Mrs. Wells suggested I agree to get into a dunk day on Field Day. Currently, we are at 430 so I still have a chance at remaining dry! I’m not sure what to wish for, but since it all goes to Financial Assistance for our students, I am going to ask that you check the brochure and keep signing up for Evening Classes!!! Gulp.
Spring has officially arrived, as have allergies. Though no amount of sneezing and wheezing can keep our Wolfhounds down. Baseball players are tracking and whacking, soccer players are kicking it into gear, while tennis is in full swing (sorry I could not resist!) In theatre news,
Beauty and the Beast rehearsals are well underway.
Cabaret Night was a great success! Over $6,000 was raised to benefit the upcoming production! Thank you to all of the local businesses and artists who donated items for the silent auction and thank you to all of the performers! It was especially heartwarming to see Wolfhound alumni on stage to support Saint Patrick Theatre and founding principal Steve Hammond came back to sing a duet with his talented granddaughter Penelope Hanson! All proceeds from
Cabaret Night and the silent auction go toward the production of
Beauty and the Beast! We can’t wait to see it on May 4th, 5th, & 6th!
Get tickets here!
Steve Hammond and his granddaughter Penelope sang "You've Got a Friend in Me" at Saturday night's Cabaret fundraiser.
On a much more somber note, it was with heavy hearts that we shared the sad news that our Wolfhound community lost a beloved member on Thursday night, March 23rd. After a long battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Mike Cutter, father to 7th grader Archer and alumnus Stanton, beloved basketball coach, and a friend to so many of us in this community - passed away. Those who knew Mike well described him as a family-loving, sports-loving, Saint Patrick-loving, friend-loving, joyful human being. Despite his journey with ALS, he took on every challenge, and he continued to spread love and serve as an example of courage and encouragement to all. He will be dearly missed, and we pray that God sends his healing Grace to Mike’s family and friends in their time of great loss and suffering.
Coach Mike Cutter in 2018 with his 6th Grade Boys Basketball team.
As we continue our Lenten journey, may we learn from the examples of selfless servant leaders, whose compassion, courage and service improve the lives of others, and may we always remember Mike Cutter for the loving father, husband, and friend he was. We pray that the memory of Mike’s years of coaching, love, and friendship will bolster those who grieve him now.
Blessings,