Photo courtesy of St. Patrick's Catholic School

This week is National Catholic Schools Week, and St. Patrick’s School in Perry is encouraging the community to celebrate with them.

Principal Kandice Roethler says there are different themes and activities each day, which get the students, staff, and public involved, and the purpose of the celebration is to exhibit what a parochial school can offer. “This week gives us an opportunity to really share what we’re about, and how we’re just a little bit different. We get to bring in our religion, we get to talk about all these ideas. But it also gives us a way and a week to kind of share out everything. It’s almost like a homecoming week for our school. So we’re using this as a time to celebrate and showcase all of the great things that we have going on here. All of our students that are amazing, our staff that are amazing, and really reminding people that we are an option.”

The theme for Monday is “Celebrating Community,” with the school taking time to thank the businesses and organizations that support them. Tuesday is “Celebrating Students,” with the big activity being a day devoted to reading at all grade levels. On Wednesday, the school is “Celebrating the Nation,” and classes will dismiss at 11:30 a.m. so people can attend a prayer retreat. Thursday’s theme is “Celebrating Vocations,” which Roethler describes as a kind of career day where parents talk about their occupations. Finally, Friday will be all about “Celebrating Faculty, Staff, and Volunteers,” and includes the popular students versus staff dodgeball game. To learn more about Catholic Schools Week at St. Pat’s in Perry, listen to Tuesday’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program on air and at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.