Catholic schools in the archdiocese begin a new school year eager to foster a sense of community and academic excellence
Crisp uniforms, fresh kicks and a sparkling new campus were on display for the first day of school at St. Louis Catholic Academy.
Cate Rosemann, 6, hugged her mother, Robyn Rosemann, as they parted ways on Cate’s first day of kindergarten Aug. 13 at St. Paul School in St. Paul. The Rosemanns are parishioners at St. Paul.
Sixth grader Mackenzie Johnson made her way through a balloon archway at the school’s entrance with her mom, Andreas Henderson, as faculty, staff and other school supporters were there to cheer on students Aug. 14.
Mackenzie was eager to be reunited with her classmates. Her first year of middle school also brought a new perk: her own locker. “I can’t wait to see my friends,” she said.
St. Louis Catholic Academy, which relocated to a new campus in the Carr Square neighborhood of St. Louis this year, is one of many Catholic schools in the archdiocese that returned to school the week of Aug. 12. The school is located on the former campus of La Salle Charter School, about 4 miles southeast of the school’s previous campus at St. Elizabeth Mother of John the Baptist Church in the Penrose neighborhood of St. Louis.
St. Louis Catholic Academy kindergarteners Kayla Miller and Golden Brown-Crockett high-fived during the first day of the school year Aug. 14.
With a new campus also came an increase in enrollment, from 138 students in grades kindergarten through eighth last year to 192 this fall, with a waiting list. Students hail from about two dozen metro area zip codes.
It was a trip down memory lane for Sylvia Deanes, who walked into school with her children, sixth grader Gabrielle Kirkman, fifth grader Hayden Kirkman and second grader Chase Woods. Deanes grew up at St. Bridget of Erin Church, the campus where St. Louis Catholic Academy now resides, and the former Pruitt-Igoe housing complex.
“We got a Catholic education, so that’s why I wanted to keep them in the same” experience, said Deanes, who is now at St. Josephine Bakhita Parish. “They get a continuous education and keep them focused. The Catholic nature, they’re moreso into religion here. It’s just preparing them for everyday life.”
The theme for the school year is “Soar Together,” building off of the school’s mascot, the Falcons. “Everybody in this building is creating a sense of community where we all do what’s best for our scholars,” head of school Eric Cooper said. “This is their space, and we want them to have a sense of belonging. We’ve been operating on three folds: faith in God, academic success and a sense of belonging. So we want to make sure those three things are always at the forefront of this school.”
St. Louis Catholic Academy third grader Rosemary King danced along to a song with her teacher Beatrice Earhart during the first day of school Aug. 14.
Alice Prince, who joined the school this year as director of faith and formation, said she is looking forward to a new beginning and building relationships between students, the school and the wider Catholic community in the coming school year.
“It’s one thing to have a new beginning of a school year, but to have a new beginning with God at the center of it and the focus of it,” she said. “As educators, we’re all evangelizers, and so we are going to be being very impactful and intentional about how we evangelize in the digital age, and we’re going to make sure that the young people’s voices are at the center.”
Bishop DuBourg High School
As the early morning sun peeked over their red brick school building in south St. Louis, Bishop DuBourg High School seniors circled up on the football field for the first prayer of the school year.
Bishop DuBourg High School seniors gathered on Don Burrus Field for a senior sunrise gathering before the start of the first day of the school year Aug. 12 at Bishop DuBourg High School in St. Louis. The gathering included prayer and breakfast for the seniors on their last first day of high school.
Senior sunrise is a school tradition that started five years ago, bringing the seniors together to kick off the year on a high note — and remind them of the responsibility they carry as the school’s leaders. After the prayer, the students observed a moment of silence in honor of Sam Crowe, a member of the class of 2025 who died in an accident in 2022.
Bishop DuBourg president Monica Freese stuck around to chat with seniors over coffee and breakfast pastries before heading in to welcome the rest of the students and teachers to the first day of school. The school’s theme for the year is “belonging,” Freese said. She’s looking forward to building on the house system the school launched last year, which groups students of all ages into four different houses to encourage friendships and community among different classes.
Each house has both a patron saint and a dedicated service project that they engage in throughout the year, Freese said.
“It’s that whole sense of community, that whole sense of ‘Faith of Christ, Service to Others.’ It’s honestly what we live, not just our motto,” she said.
The house system provides an easy way for upperclassmen to share their experience with underclassmen, said senior Jeremy Roeder.
“It started last year, when we were juniors, so we got to mentor some of the younger kids,” he said. “We’ll get to continue that this year, which is a big help for them.”
“I didn’t really know a lot of the younger kids before, so now we have the opportunity to meet more kids and see their experiences and help them grow,” added Mahliha Lee.
Seniors have plenty on their minds, with classes, sports, clubs and college applications. But on the field with their friends, with the whole year stretching before them, they had time to soak it in.
“The thing I’m most excited for is just making memories with everyone, because it’s our last year of high school,” Leslie Garcia said.
Mahliha Lee laughed while gathered with other seniors including, from left, Pharrell Galloway, Mya Dozier and Maddie Ruggeri during a senior sunrise event before the first day of the school year Aug. 12 at Bishop DuBourg High School.
St. Paul School in St. Paul
On the first day of school at St. Paul School in St. Paul, pastor Father Joseph Post and principal Kelly Kaimann took turns greeting students as they arrived. Some walked into the building with their parents for a first day of school photo opportunity. Many were eager to share their favorite summer memories — vacation road trips, a lost tooth, a new puppy and an infant sibling’s baptism.
This year the school chose the theme, “Be the Light,” from Matthew 5:14. Kaimann, who is in her 26th year as principal at St. Paul, said she is eager to build upon on that theme by helping all 269 students from preschool through eighth grade realize their full potential and how they can be the face of Christ to others.
“I want the kids to be the light to others, and to act and walk like Jesus and for others to notice that difference,” she said. “We’re going to focus on respect and responsibility and treating others as we want to be treated.”
Father Joseph Post, St. Paul pastor, visited with pre-K4 students, including Reece Sanders at left, during the first day of the school year Aug. 13 at St. Paul School.
Students in each grade also are placed into faith families, small groups that meet once a month to study different virtues and saints throughout the school year and participate in activities together such as Mass. Older students also help nurture the younger students during their time together.
Three-year-old Sam Miller was among St. Paul’s newest students. Dressed in his bright blue uniform T-shirt and navy shorts and engulfed by a shark-themed backpack, he marched right into school and down the hall to his preschool classroom, where a teacher’s aide greeted him.
“S-A-M,” he spelled out loud as he spotted his name above a cubby marked for his belongings. After disappearing into the classroom, he wandered over to a play area to make himself busy while other students were arriving.
His mother, Lauren Miller, made a quick exit, as some would do to avoid the first-day-of-school tears — whether that be from students or parents. “OK Sam, Mommy’s gonna go,” she told him, as his teacher Kelli Haring helped him find a seat at a table. Miller later added that she is looking forward to seeing her son develop independence skills and make new friends.
Once students settled into their classrooms, the day began with morning announcements, the Pledge of Allegiance and prayer. Students recited the Act of Hope prayer, building off the virtue of hope, which the school will focus on in August and September, and a nod to the Jubilee Year 2025 announced by Pope Francis with the theme “Pilgrims of Hope.”
Second grade teacher Lisa Haley read the book, “A Letter from Your Teacher on the First Day of School” written by Shannon Olsen, to her class on the first day of the school year Aug. 13 at St. Paul School.
After running over to church to celebrate 8 a.m. Mass, Father Post returned to school to stop by each classroom. During a visit with second graders, he spoke to them about two soon-to-be sacramental milestones — first reconciliation and first Communion — which they will receive later in the school year.
Father Post gave them a little test on their first day: How many Eucharists have there ever been in the history of the Church?
They threw out numbers: 20? 1,000? 20,000?
“Nope,” he said. “Let me ask this: How many Jesuses have there ever been? One. Christ is the living body. What we celebrate at Mass is that continuation of Christ’s gift poured out for us. But there’s only been that one gift of that sacrifice of Christ.”
Eighth grader Cassie Vogelgesang also will be celebrating a milestone this year — her last year at St. Paul School. She’s looking forward to attending a pro-life march in Jefferson City, and other special activities planned for eighth-graders.
Her experience at a Catholic school — regularly attending Mass and eucharistic adoration, for example — has nurtured her faith in small and great ways, she said. “I’ve definitely grown in faith,” she said. “I pray to (God) every night. Everyone here at school is super nice and supportive of each other, too.”
Kindergarten teacher Jennifer Cornett let Colton Nanney use a mirror to see himself during an assignment to draw a picture of himself on the first day of school Aug. 13 at St. Paul School.
