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Religion Theme
For the last two
years our focus has been on the Traditions of our faith and the way we
demonstrate these basic beliefs through our common rituals and practices. This
year we take our faith knowledge and put it into practice as Disciples of
Christ. As Catholics we are called to serve others. Our theme this year, seen
on classroom doors and t-shirts, is “Growing
Disciples in Christ”.
We will use a series entitled “Everyday People Make a Difference” as a supplement to incorporate service learning into our curriculum. The goal of this program is to help develop a lifelong sense of service and character in our youth.
Our outreach efforts will benefit the St. Francis Center in McArthur, Ohio. This center is run by Sister Linda Lewandowski of the Sisters of St. Francis. Sister Linda and her small staff service the residents of Vinton County, providing food, clothing, and other items to those people in need. Our hopes are that the students, through activity and research, will become more aware of the issues and problems that the poor and hungry face and will problem solve solutions and take action to help the people of Vinton County.
To begin the year, students participated in a buddy activity that focused on poverty and needs versus wants. The activity began with a slide show of people and places in Vinton County, including the St. Francis Center. Then, working in groups, students had to imagine they lived in a house with no food or personal care items. They then looked through grocery ads and chose items they would need to survive for a week and that would fit in one grocery bag. They cut out the pictures and glued them to a bag. The groups shared their ideas with the class and discussed the reasons for their choices. This activity was followed by discussion and reflection in the homerooms. Students learned that people in need can go to the St. Francis Center to receive a bag of groceries and other essential items.
Our second buddy activity will occur during Catholic Schools Week. Our hope is that Sister Linda will visit the students to give them more insight into her work and the problems that the disadvantaged in Vinton County face.