Left: Saint Patrick (Nash Powers) and Saint Francis of Assisi (Beckman Nobles) fill the hallways with holiness as they explain about their lives to the younger students.
Right: St. Andre Besset (Malec Chambers) and St. Stephen (Gage Smith) eagerly await the reception prepared for them by the 5th grade room mothers.
Back in the Habit
On November 1 Catholics around the world attend mass in celebration of all of the Saints in Heaven. At Notre Dame Catholic School, when All Saints Day rolls around, students from the upper and lower campuses have the opportunity to get a bit more up close and personal with many of these celebrated saints. For multiple decades, Notre Dame students, family and faculty have been treated to a highly anticipated representation of some of their favorite Saints by the lower campus’s fifth grade class.
The Fifth Grade All Saints Day Project has been debuted on the mass day following All Saints day for three decades. However, this is not a project that can be finished over-night; With the guidance of fifth grade teacher Cyndi Trivette, students in the fifth grade class spend the entire month of October researching over twenty Saints. Once each student has narrowed these twenty down to (Saints cont. on pag 6) then delve into exploring each of them in order to decide on the one saint that is best suited to them. Trivette says that the students are then encouraged to pick one that is similar to themselves; this helps them connect with the saint and see the possibilities in the project: “By researching and understanding a Saints life, the students are then able to see that they could be like that saint one day.” says Trivette. Celia Vasquez a fifth grader who participated in the project this year said she chose Saint Cecilia “ because she reminded me of myself. She loved God, and loved music and singing.”
St. John the Baptist (Grayson Saenz), St. Cecilia (Celia Vasquez) , St. Anne (Adyson Koetter), St. Stephen, and St. Genevieve (Lucy Parker) lead liturgical singing on All Saints' Day.