MADISON – Students and staff at St. John the Baptist Catholic School are recognizing the uniqueness of their education during Catholic Schools Week on Jan. 26 through Feb. 1.

“This week, St. John the Baptist Catholic School is joining Catholic schools around the nation to celebrate Catholic education,” St. John Principal Sherry Lewis said. “The ongoing theme is ‘Catholic Schools: Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed.’ Each year, Catholic schools pause to celebrate the faith-based education offered to families.”

To celebrate, St. John students honored community helpers by taking snacks to their offices around Madison. “We also honor our religious leaders, parents and teachers throughout the week. Students also participated in a canned food drive to support the food pantry,” Lewis said.

“Our faculty and staff are fully committed each and every day to bring experiential opportunities to our students. The planning for this week is only one shining example of their commitment to our students and families,” Lewis said.

“Our families recognize that, in today’s world, it is imperative for our children to receive a strong academic education that weaves in a spiritual life thus developing the whole child, who will be tomorrow’s leader,” Lewis said.

Staring the week, school leaders encouraged students to wear school uniforms to mass at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church or Most Merciful Jesus Catholic Church in Madison. At St. John, students in National Junior Honor Society served mass ministries.

For Community Appreciation Day on Jan. 27, St. John students visited Madison businesses to present certificates of appreciation and baskets of treats.

These visits included Kindergarten-4 and first grade to Madison Fire and Rescue Department; K5, Mayor Paul Finley at City Hall; second-graders, Madison City Council; third-graders, Madison Public Library; fourth-graders, office employees at St. John; fifth-graders, Madison Police Department; sixth grade, Madison Senior Center; seventh grade, Morningside Assisted Living; and eighth grade, Madison Chamber of Commerce.

For Student Appreciation Day on Jan. 28, an ‘out-of-uniform’ day allowed students to wear neon-bright clothing to symbolize “our future is bright with God.” The cafeteria treated them with ‘Taco Tuesday,’ and teachers didn’t assign homework. Then, students gave snacks to priests and deacons at St. John and Most Merciful Jesus for Vocation Appreciation Day.

Teachers and staff members enjoyed an appreciation day by ‘dressing down’ and having lunch courtesy of the Parent-Teacher Organization on Jan 30. Sixth-graders traveled to Birmingham for mass with the bishop on Parent Appreciation Day. Parents received treats from teachers during car line, and teachers distributed ‘blessing bags’ for students to take home .

The school viewed students’ thoughts for “What My St. John’s Catholic Education Means to Me” in a PowerPoint.

St. John Catholic School’s address is 1057 Hughes Road in Madison. For more information, call 256-722-0772 or visit stjohnb.com.