To nurture a sense of community, foster relationships, provide a supportive network and establish a place of belonging, several Catholic schools across the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have embraced the “house system,” reminiscent of the traditional British-based system that provides students the opportunity to connect across grades and classrooms.
In today's world, we are surrounded by constant noise and distractions. At home, we are always connected to media such as smartphones, computers, television and tablets. In the car, we are also saturated by noise and radio programs with commentary often inappropriate for our children's ears.
The Catholic Spirit asked Archbishop Bernard Hebda to describe the Roadmap for Excellence in Catholic Education and to explain how he hopes it shapes Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Across the country at the state level, Catholic conferences are involved in lobbying efforts to promote school choice as a way to provide more families access to Catholic schools.
In honor of Catholic Schools Week, The Catholic Spirit photographer Dave Hrbacek documented a day at eight Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Jan. 18, starting in the east at St. Croix Catholic School in Stillwater and ending in the west at St. Timothy School in Maple Lake.
The kindergarten through eighth-grade schools — Ascension Catholic School in north Minneapolis, St. John Paul II Catholic Preparatory School in northeast Minneapolis and St. Peter Claver Catholic School in St. Paul — comprise Ascension Catholic Academy. With Ascension serving as the anchor school, its staff is responsible for managing daily operations of all three.
Fifth-graders in teacher Becca Reinhardt’s class at Holy Family Academy in St. Louis Park were asked if she shows favoritism to one particular student, Sam.
Three schools responded to The Catholic Spirit’s query of schools celebrating milestone years in 2015: Immaculate Conception in Columbia Heights, Bethlehem Academy in Faribault and Holy Cross Catholic School in Webster.
