The Mass opened with a spectacular procession: students from 84 elementary and high schools carried their school’s banner down the cathedral’s center aisle. The colorful pageant captured the diversity and scope of the region’s Catholic schools.

Caleb, an eighth grader, carried Cardinal Pacelli’s banner, while his classmates Tristan, Delaney, and Madeleine looked on from the pews.

During his homily Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk spoke about the importance of gratitude. Catholic Schools Week, he said, is a time to reflect on the people—parents, teachers, staff, and clergy—who make Catholic schools vibrant, Christ-centered institutions. Many of those individuals were on hand to share in the celebration.

“At Pacelli our commitment is to more fully incorporate art into the students’ daily experience. Doing so is a really fun way to give them a greater appreciation for everything you can learn from art, ” said Mitch Dunn, a parent member of the Fine Arts Committee.

Once a month students enjoy a live musical performance in the cafeteria. In September Jim Kelly played acoustic guitar. In November Hee Jin Yoon mesmerized students with the tranquil sounds of her harp.

During the fall students in grades six through eight focused on visual art when Cincinnati-based professional photographer Tony Arrasmith met with them to discuss the fundamentals of digital photography. His visit culminated in a student photography contest featuring four categories, including one for Mt. Lookout/Hyde Park landmarks. Students’ entries were displayed in an exhibit on this website.

“The students who participated did a great job,” said Arrasmith. “I could tell they really listened to my tips about originality and composition. There were wonderful motion, nature and landmark photos that answered the challenges of the contest.“ Arrasmith was also one of the judges for the contest.

The new year brings a slate of new activities. Four Chinese acrobats from the Bureau of Lectures will perform in April, and Music teacher Anne Shoup will produce a choral concert later in the month.

The photos from the Student Photography Contest will be on display at Cardinal Pacelli during the January 29 Catholic Schools Week Open House from 11:00 am-1:30 pm. The images can also be viewed here.

Hee Jin Yoon plays the harp during lunch at Cardinal Pacelli School. Yoon's performance was sponsored by the school's Fine Arts Committee.

Since the project began in 2006, students have held bake sales and raffles, donated food, knitted clothing, and done just about anything an industrious kid could to make his donation have the greatest impact.

The challenge began as a religion class project for Natalie Palmenter’s fifth graders.  Palmenter saw an Oprah Winfrey show where audience members received $1,000 to perform random acts of kindness, along with a camcorder to document the good deeds.  The show was so inspiring that Palmenter, with the help of sixth-grade teacher Taffy Clifton, gave each student $10 and the following instructions: Use the money to perform a good deed for another person.  Even though Palmenter is no longer teaching at the school, Mrs. Clifton continues to carry on the experiment.

Christmas Kindness has been so successful that it now includes the sixth graders, thanks to an anonymous donor from the parish.  Students have also become very resourceful at finding ways to “grow” their dollars.

This year four boys from the fifth grade teamed up for a bake sale.  Jack S., Brendan P., Peter H., and Gregory F. earned $177.02 dollars selling brownies, cookies, rice krispie treats, banana bread, and gingerbread men. They decided to contribute the money to the church’s Christmas Adopt-a-Family program.

(Left to right) Gregory, Jack, Peter, and Brendan present Mrs. Gruesser with a $177.02 contribution to Christ the King's Christmas Adopt-a-Family program.

The boys with their bake sale items.

On Thursday, November 10, 2011, Rigg came one step closer to reaching that goal when he visited Cardinal Pacelli. With eleven schools remaining, he is optimistic that he’ll soon reach his objective.

Accompanied by Principal Kim Roy, Rigg spent the afternoon visiting classrooms, speaking with teachers and students, and learning about the educational program.

In the hallway he met St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Gregory VII. The school’s fifth graders were dressed up like Saints as part of a special project. In Tim Banker’s social studies class he quizzed seventh graders about the Declaration of Independence. The former teacher and principal clearly relished his interactions with students.

Visiting schools is one of Rigg’s favorite parts of the job. “Each school has its own personality,” he said. “I was very impressed with Cardinal Pacelli School. Not only do the students seem very engaged in their learning, but there is an identifiable sense of warmth and hospitality surrounding the school. It was an absolute pleasure to spend the afternoon visiting with the community.”

Since taking the helm of the nation’s eighth largest Catholic school system, Rigg has been busy. He initiated a strategic planning and visioning effort called “Lighting the Way.” The first part of the report was released last October and contains details about demographics, enrollment, and finance. The process is expected to be complete by the fall of 2012. For more information visit the Archdiocese’s website.

Pairs of fifth and eighth graders teamed up for experiments ranging from how to build a lava lamp to creating an electromagnet out of a few everyday objects. According to eighth grader Jennifer L., the goal was to run a successful experiment while teaching the students how to use lab equipment properly. Science teacher Dan Steffen said, “It’s ideal for the younger students to see the older students using things like goggles, gloves, and smocks to keep themselves safe.”

The school’s science room is new, the result of a renovation that took place in 2008. All students use the room as part of the science curriculum, although labs in grades 5 – 8 are more intensive than those in the primary grades. “We want students to have correct lab procedures modeled for them early on during their 5th grade year before they begin doing such labs themselves,” said Steffen.

Eighth graders Jack H. and Owen M. observe the effects of carbon dioxide on raisins while fifth grader Will P. watches to see if the raisins will "dance."

The competition requires students to write a total of three stories–one during each of three forty-minute segments. The stories must have a beginning, middle, and end, but there is no length requirement. Students receive an open-ended prompt to get started, but the rest is up to them. Here is a sample seventh grade prompt: Use the word BEFORE somewhere in the title of your story. Then write it.

Paula Knight, Cardinal Pacelli’s junior high language arts teacher, has been sending students to Power of the Pen for twenty-two years. She looks forward to the competition every year. “It’s good for the kids because it encourages good writing skills and imagination.” She also likes giving students the opportunity to compete in an arena other than sports.

Knight prepares students by having them practice with prompts, and then uses peer feedback to help students improve their pieces. “The students share and critique each other’s stories to see how they could have been better.” In 2009 eighth-grader Mallory Arnold placed fifth in the state competition.

(Left to right) Brock D., Gabriella V., and Alex B. represented Cardinal Pacelli in the Power of the Pen regionals this year.

The project grew out of the fourth grade curriculum’s focus on Ohio history. “After students research their person and write a report, they narrow down the information to the five most interesting facts, and that’s the part they memorize for the Wax Museum,” said fourth grade teacher Janie Howe. She has been doing the project for six years.

Joyce Davin came to see her grandson Jack, who took on the persona of John Heisman. “There was real communication going on here. They looked me in the eye and knew just what to say,” she said.

John Heisman

Erma Bombeck

Annie Oakley

Oscar Robertson

The production put a playful twist on the classic tale by featuring hit songs from the ’80’s, including “Don’t Stop Believing”  and “Every Breath You Take.” Karie Gipson, the director, developed the production with students in mind. Six students shared the role of Pinocchio, and another four took turns as Hickory the Cricket.

Gipson, founder of Gigglebox Theatre Experience, was ecstatic about the students’ performance. “My goal was achieved: Every student felt like a star, and that is what it’s all about.”

Eighth grader Jack Hannan, who was quite convincing in the role of Geppetto, intends to take part in theatre next year when he begins high school at St. Xavier. Hannan’s favorite part of the musical was singing “Sweet Child of Mine.”  He said the toughest part was mastering Geppetto’s old man hobble walk. View a clip of the performance here.

The visit began with a presentation from a COSI wildlife biologist who showed students what to do if they see an injured wild animal. Next, students broke into small groups and took turns fishing for native fish species, bird-watching with binoculars, and feeling real animal skins and skulls.

COSI’s mission is to conserve and promote Ohio’s wildlife resources. The COSI On Wheels program has been visiting Cardinal Pacelli for over ten years and is sponsored by the school’s Parent Teacher Organization.

Second-grader Kristen M. holds a fish she caught at COSI’s “What’s Wild” Reel Me Up exhibit.

(Left to right) Second-grader Katie S. touches a fur in COSI’s “What’s Wild” Fuzzy Wuzzy exhibit as classmates Ben H. and Jack M. look on.