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I have spent 35 years of my life in Catholic education – 8 as a student, 25 as an educator and 2 as principal. I have spent more than half of my life in Catholic education. My years as a student, an educator, a parent, and an administrator in the Catholic education system have truly formed me into the person I am today. I would like to speak about a school that is near and dear to my heart – St. Michael School. St. Michael School is an alternative choice for parents in today’s world. It is a choice that we need to continue to provide. The loving, caring, structured environment that I experienced in my elementary years at St. Joseph School helped me create a loving, caring, structured environment in my classroom at St. Michael School. It is this type of environment that I feel is needed and important to provide for the children of today. The mission statement for St. Michael School states that we strive “to educate the whole child by providing a quality Catholic Education in a safe and caring learning environment. Focusing on Jesus the Redeemer, children are encouraged to strive for excellence in spiritual, academic, social and physical activities. Through a variety of curricular and extracurricular activities, children are taught to become productive and exemplary Christian leaders for the future.” As I look at the world today, I see people of all ages searching for meaning in life – seeking that spiritual guidance that will bring them a sense of peace. According to Frank Mercadante in his book titled Growing Teen Disciples: Strategies for Really Effective Youth Ministry, I quote “We need to direct and guide young people in moral choices. There is a need for the good news of right living to be boldly proclaimed in a clear and relevant manner.” Here we are ready and able to provide the moral and religious values all children need for responsible living. Students who leave us and go into another school, whether it is public or religious, are very well prepared to meet the challenges that lie ahead for them. Our graduates have been highly successful in high school with many of them graduating with the honor of being salutatorians, valedictorians, or in the top ten of the class. Year after year, students return to visit us with stories of their success in high school and thanking us for providing the moral values that they so highly depended on and used in their high school years. Not only do they thank us for the moral and religious values, but they also thank us for the academic foundation we gave to them. So many of them come back to thank us for teaching them the study skills, the organizational skills, and the time management skills that they relied on during their high school years. These same skills will help them complete their education and will stay with them as they pursue careers in the work world. The students who return to visit and thank us are not only those who have found school exciting and interesting, but also those who struggled with academics and who didn’t find school exciting, who did not want to be in school, who did not want to do the work, who did not want to study, who saw no point in putting all that effort into their education – they are the ones who are true success stories when they return to thank us and tell us that they suddenly realized what it was we had provided for them – when they tell us that they could hear our voices in their heads guiding them and reminding them of the steps to use and to take to be successful. After giving their thank yous, they go on to tell us what they have planned for their futures – and it is always more than they thought they would ever be able to do. So, what does St. Michael School offer? Who can attend St. Michael School? St. Michael School is the only Catholic School in Wayne County. Parents may request busing through their home school districts. Our school is open to all regardless of their faith or non-faith. We work diligently to meet the needs of every student and to help each child reach his or her utmost capability. We provide Academic Intervention Service to those students who need further support in reading and math. Our Learning Lab offers academic assistance to all students beyond what they receive in the classroom. Students can take advantage of the learning lab for extra support in any subject area at any grade level. The learning lab works closely with the public school districts to ensure that we meet the academic, social, and physical needs of those students with a 504 or an Individual Education Plan – better known as an IEP. Special services, such as, speech enhancement, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and English as a Second Language, are provided through cooperative efforts with the public school district. We contract through Catholic Charities for a school counselor. A school nurse is available through the Newark School District. We are able to provide a strong educational program for all students with the exception of those with extreme academic, social, or physical needs. Students from kindergarten to grade eight receive instruction on a regular basis in reading, writing, English-Language Arts, math, religion, social studies, and science. All students participate in physical education twice a week and once a week in music, art, computer, and library. Our library is part of the Wayne Finger Lakes BOCES Library system. Grades seven and eight are instructed in Spanish on a daily basis while kindergarten through grade six students receive instruction once a week. To eighth grade students who qualify, we offer Integrated Algebra and Earth Science, both regents courses that give these students a head start on their high school program. This summer we updated our computer lab with new computers and provided each classroom with better computers. We have two SMART Boards that are being used for instruction in our middle school classrooms. This past spring, we were the recipients of a grant from EDS. With this grant, we were able to purchase LabQuest, a program that will enhance our science and math courses. Earlier during the school year, we received a grant from Cornell Cooperative Extension for our physical education program and were able to purchase “Dance, Dance, Revolution” to provide another means of getting students excited about exercise and being physically fit. At the beginning of the upcoming school year, we will receive a National Endowment for Humanities Picturing America Grant. This grant will provide posters of classic American art that can be used to enhance all subject areas from PreK through grade 8. In addition to the standard classes, we offer a variety of extra-curricular activities. In the spring of each year, we hold a science fair at which time parents and students can view a variety of science projects and experiments from individual students as well as class projects. Artistic talents can be explored, challenged, and enhanced through our after-school art club. Students participate in a variety of musical programs such as piano lessons, band, instrumental lessons, concerts, and a dramatic/musical school play. The Newark High School graciously provides their auditorium and stage for the presentation of our Christmas and spring concerts, as well as the school play. If you have never attended one of our school performances, I invite you to please join us. I think you will be wonderfully surprised at the talent displayed and the caliber of the presentations. Our students are also able to share their gifts at our annual talent show. In the past we have enjoyed musical performances from singing to instrumental offerings, comedy routines, short skits, and even a demonstration of physical abilities through dance, a gymnastics performance or a demonstration of martial arts. Students in grades 5-8 can participate in our Catholic Youth Organization basketball program. Ski club is available during the winter months. This coming school year we are hoping to offer instruction in the game of golf. In the past, we have been able to offer bowling as a choice. We are always looking for ways to get students involved in physical activities and for parents who are willing to organize and coach these activities. Our students are also given opportunities to give back to the community – both locally and worldwide. The St. Michael School family has been extended through the adoption of two children – one in India and one in South America. The students have “mission cans” in their classrooms so they can donate their loose change to help care for our adopted children. On a regular basis, the children bring canned goods to school that we then give to the local food closet. Two years ago, we collected winter hats, coats, mittens, and scarves that we donated to a local church to give to those in need. Last year we collected baby items and donated them to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church for their “baby closet.” We have a "Dress in Green" day on St. Patrick’s Day, but there is a catch. In order for the students to wear green on that day, they have to pay a dollar. This money is then donated to the Wilmot Children’s Cancer Center. Our eighth grade students are required to earn community service hours throughout the school year. Each year we look to expand our community service interaction. We are always grateful for the many ways the community supports St. Michael School. The annual presentation of dictionaries by Rotary is a wonderful example of the generosity we receive from various businesses and organizations in Wayne County. St. Michael School is a large part of my life, I will leave you with a slide presentation of our school. Please look through our website and visit it to learn more about St. Michael School. I invite you to call me if you would ever like a tour of the school. Thank you for your time and attention.
Mrs. Pauline DeCann
Call: 315-331-2297 or e-mail: smndcs@dor.org
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