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St. Mary’s School
The
Countdown has Begun
By Kathy Ayette
I’ve noticed a lack of focus around the school lately… and that’s just
the staff. Add some restlessness and general giddiness, and you
have a description of the student body. Obviously it is the last
month of school. The students have started their countdown.
Actually in my math class counting the days until a specific event is
part of the math meeting, and let’s face it what other event this month
merits countdown!
May has been a very busy month. On May 2 we had May Crowning, a
prayer service to honor the Blessed Virgin, in the morning and then
attended the National Day of Prayer held at First United Methodist
Church. Eighth grader, Luke F. Rammel offered the prayer for families
during the service. By the end of the day the glare from my children’s
haloes was so bright I needed sunglasses.
The eighth graders went on their class trip May 6 and returned
May 9. They visited the younger grades the following afternoon
and told the other students about their trip. They toured
Baltimore and took a side trip to Washington D.C. The sixth
graders left for their trip to Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center on
May 7 and returned to school on May 10.
On May 3, Jesse Maag, a meteorologist from WHIO, came to give a
presentation about weather to the kindergarten through fourth
grades. The children were a very attentive audience, especially
when he talked about tornadoes and hurricanes. I have to admit, I
find them fascinating…from a very safe distance. On May 14 the
fifth graders attended the Health Fair. On May 16 the Board
of Trustees provided a luncheon for the staff and volunteers of St.
Mary’s School in appreciation for all their hard work.
May 16 is the last day of school for the preschool Caterpillar class,
and May 17 is the last day for the Butterfly class. The rest of
us have to wait a bit for our last day of school. However before
we reach that day, there are some more important events. The
third through sixth graders will travel to the Maria Stein Retreat
Center for retreat or day of prayer on May 24. Now you may be
envisioning children kneeling for several hours, which I believe is
physically impossible to achieve in this reality, and rather far from
the experience. The children will participate in age appropriate
activities designed to help them not only grow in their faith, but to
have a bit of fun along the way.
The eighth graders will graduate on May 28. Ah, I remember when
they were cute little first and second graders. Now they are cute
little eighth graders ready to start the next phase of their
education. We wish Mariah Kreusch, Lauren Wright, Carson Pope,
Luke F. Rammel and Luke D. Rammel the best of luck in high
school. They go with our love.
Field Day is May 29 and the last day of school is May 30. Awards
will be presented in the morning. On both the field day and last
day of school, lunch will be provided for the
students.
We have one more departure this year. Mrs. Dianne Blocher, one of
our preschool teachers will be retiring this year. Dianne began
teaching preschool in 2006 and has taught with great patience and
humor, two things you really need if you teach preschool. Over
the years she has taught both the Caterpillar Class of three and four
year olds, and the Butterfly Class of four and five year olds. I
have often walked by her classroom as she dealt with a gaggle of little
ones, and thanked the Lord for making me a first-slash-second grade
teacher. She told me that she felt her job was to help the little
children learn to love school. She certainly did that and so much
more. For years Dianne has been the main wardrobe lady for the
spring musicals. Her late husband Steve directed the musicals for
many years, and no matter what costume was needed, Dianne found a way
to make it, from period clothing to elephant heads. After her
husband passed away, Dianne still costumed the students for the
musicals. We will celebrate her service to St. Mary’s with a
special Mass on Friday, May 17. The cherub choir will lead the
music that day. In the afternoon there will be a special
reception for her with the staff, students and special guests
attending. Since this column will appear after the fact, I
won’t be revealing any surprises. Dianne will be presented with
several gifts of appreciation. The staff is giving her a school
bell, a necklace, some scrip, and a very special gift, a toy
lamb. Because of a little mishap involving some tardy preschool
lambs making their entrance at a Christmas program several years ago,
Dianne has good-naturedly suffered through many lamb jokes at her
expense. We couldn’t let her leave without one more. I
would say we will miss her, but like so many of our retirees she is
planning to come back to help now and then. We wish her much
happiness as she enters this new stage of life.
This school year is quickly coming to an end. So until the next
school year, on behalf of the students and staff of St. Mary’s School,
I wish you a safe and happy summer.
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