St. Benedict Catholic School and Maur Hill - Mount Academy have cancelled school for tomorrow, Wednesday, February 12 due to the impending snow storm. Stay safe and warm!

Back in May, our 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Amy Joyce, was recognized as St. Benedict Catholic School's Rotary Educator of the Year!

Mrs. Joyce has been teaching at SBCS since 2016, having taught previously at public schools. Mrs. Joyce is very dedicated to her students and the mission of the school. She provides some of the most memorable hands-on activities at SBCS that helps provoke joy and wonder in our students, including the solar system play, Native American project, etiquette party, and the baby chick unit.

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is coming through Atchison this week before going through Nortonville, Topeka, Lawrence, and Kansas City. All SBCS families are encouraged to participate in this historic event!

The National Eucharistic Procession continues to St. Joseph Church in Nortonville, Kansas for Adoration, a Potluck Lunch, and a 1-mile Eucharistic Procession.

For more information or to REGISTER, go to Benedictine.edu/pilgrimage or use the QR Code. Registration helps them reach out to you in case of weather updates and to pass on other important information. Something that was greatly appreciated by the Perpetual Pilgrims with whom I traveled was hand-drawn welcome cards by children. I will pass them on to the pilgrims as part of a welcome gift from the parish. The Perpetual Pilgrims for the Serra Route are Chima Adiole, Jaella Mac Au, Patrick Fayad, Chas Firestone East, Jack Krebs, and Madison Michel. Additionally, two seminarians from the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Dereck Delgado and Jimmy Velasco, are also Perpetual Pilgrims on this route. To learn more about each of the Perpetual Pilgrims, visit https://www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org/perpetual-pilgrims.

St. Benedict Catholic School announced today that it has earned Cognia^® Accreditation. Cognia is a nonprofit organization that provides quality assurance for schools, school districts, and education service providers.

Cognia, formerly AdvancED, nationally recognizes districts that meet rigorous standards focused on productive learning environments, equitable resource allocation that meets the needs of learners, and effective leadership. Earning accreditation from the Cognia Global Accreditation Commission means that the school is accredited, and that St. Benedict Catholic School is recognized across the nation as a school that meets Cognia Performance Standards and maintains a commitment to continuous improvement.

Excerpts from middle school Social Studies teacher, Mrs. Schramp's, speech to the SBCS Class of 2024:

"Seek out opportunities for personal growth: read a book or find a hobby that you are passionate about, challenge yourself by taking classes that you think might be a little too hard or learn a skill that you can use in the future, or try a new sport. I told you guys about how, after getting cut by the volleyball team in high school I decided to try out tennis. And as I’ve told you, tennis gave me a purpose at that point in my life; I was on the courts nearly every day, in-season and off-season, working on skills that I needed to get better. I learned so much about myself as a result of seeking out a different opportunity. I hope that you can find something that you could throw yourself into to learn about the benefits of perseverance and passion."

St. Benedict Catholic School wouldn't be the school that it is today if it wasn't for the charity of others, with many members of our city and parish communities contributing their time, effort, and talents to assist our school and students.

One of the major entities in Atchison that has been a consistent source of support to SBCS is Sacred Heart Variety Store. Over the past 10 years, Sacred Heart been a source of affordable clothing and other goods in town, been a place our students to learn what it means serve others as they come into the store to complete their service hours, and been a source of financial support for our school.

At today's celebration, our students heard from two SBCS alumni, Maur Hill-Mount Academy seniors Sydney Johnson and Patrick Maderak; Sydney and Patrick are the embodiment of servant leaderership, and they shared with our students how the act of serving others help them grow closer to God. Additionally, we thanked the many men and who have worked at or volunteered at Sacred Heart Variety Store. Without them, our students would not be reaping the benefits from the proceeds of the thrift store. At the end of the ceremony, we had a balloon drop, with the 477 balloons represent the savings the our students see because of the the variety store. And we finished off our grand celebration with cookies and cakes for our students, staff, and volunteers.

For more coverage of this amazing milestone, please see The Leaven's article, "Sacred Heart Variety Store in Atchison helps fund St. Benedict School": https://theleaven.org/sacred-heart-variety-store-in-atchison-helps-fund-st-benedict-school/