Top photo caption: Ellen Remick, the music teacher in St. Benedict School, Holmdel, smiles as she stands in the school’s newly dedicated music room. The room is a soundproof, state-of-the-art room with space to house keyboards, recorders and other instruments as well as a practice space for their school choir and band. Photo from St. Benedict School
Staff Report
Moving Forward
St. John Vianney High School, Holmdel
The Lancers of St. John Vianney High School, Holmdel, will soon compete, celebrate, worship and gather in a newly transformed and renamed gymnasium: The Sister Bernadette Larson, MSC Center for Athletics & Activities.
Updates to the gym include a new wood floor, modern video scoreboard and scorers’ table, bleachers, enhanced sound system and rebranding features.
“Sister B,” as Sister Bernadette is known around campus, has been a beloved figure in the school’s midst since before its 1969 opening. Since then, she has served in several roles, ranging from guidance counselor to bookkeeper to dean of students. She has been a fixture at athletic events, claiming a customary corner seat at home basketball games.
“Renaming the gym in her honor recognizes her extraordinary commitment to St. John Vianney and the generations of students whose lives she touched,” the school said in a promotional flyer.
St Raphael School, Hamilton
Students, family members, faculty and staff from St. Raphael School, Hamilton, joined in prayer and fellowship Aug. 26 at the annual Blessing of the Classrooms. Father Genaro Daguplo, pastor of St. Raphael-Holy Angels Parish, and Deacons Richard Arcari and Robert Tharp were on hand for the ceremony, with principal Joseph Slavin in attendance.
“Our teachers work so hard and are dedicated to teaching their students,” Deacon Arcari said.
“We pray that the Holy Spirit will guide our teachers and bless our parents with unity, but most importantly to inspire our students,” he said. “We want them to know that God is the center of our school and our everyday lives.”
Expanding the Mission
Sacred Heart School, Mount Holly
Several key security improvements took place over the summer in Sacred Heart School, Mount Holly.
Using a $100,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Homeland Security Nonprofit Security Grant Program, the front auditorium entrance was replaced with new door frames, side panels and transoms with brand-new fiberglass-reinforced plastic security doors.
Retractable stainless-steel bollards were installed across the playground parking lot. These can be raised during school hours to protect students from traffic and lowered for weekend parish parking.
Additionally, the Friends of Sacred Heart School donated funds to replace the sidewalk in front of the auditorium, school leaders reported, adding, “The newly poured concrete beautifully complements our memorial bricks and upgraded auditorium entrance.”
St. Rose Grammar School, Belmar
St. Rose Grammar School, Belmar, introduced a technology upgrade this year.
With $40,000 from the PTA, it created a new STEM Lab for students in the pre-K through grade 8 school. The STEM lab – which focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – has a podcast/media center, life science area with a tower garden, 3D printing, and a “makerspace” with Lego, Gigglebots, and various STEM kits purchased through Scholastic.
Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville
Notre Dame High School students have new spaces, programs and professional-level tools designed to bring the world of business and finance into the classroom.
During the summer, the school’s original library was transformed into two modern, student-centered spaces. The Learning Commons, modeled after a college student center, provides a large collaborative area surrounded by glass conference rooms for group work, conversation and study. The business lab, powered by Bloomberg, allows access to real-time financial data, analytics and technology used by Wall Street professionals, global businesses, government agencies and leading business schools.
The investment includes 20 terminals and expands the school’s business and financial curriculum, allowing students to research companies and markets, analyze data, build equity portfolios, assess risk, and develop investment strategies. Students can compete in the Bloomberg Trading Challenge against teams from high schools, colleges and MBA programs.
Red Bank Catholic, Red Bank
The RBC community will mark World Suicide Prevention Day with the opening of its new Student Wellness Room, a dedicated space designed to support the mental, emotional and overall well-being of students.
The space was created through the school’s comprehensive student wellness partnership with Conscientia Health. It combines the Wellness Room with wellness education, mental health programming, clinician-led workshops and enhanced support pathways for students and families.
St. Benedict School, Holmdel
Expanding its embrace of the arts, St. Benedict School, Holmdel, transformed one of its classrooms into a state-of-the-art music room, complete with soundproofing, new carpet, storage for instruments and a new mural.
St. Benedict alum Dan Williams, Class of 2011, led the construction.
“Music is a huge part of learning for our students,” said marketing director Gina Cianco. She added that music teacher Ellen Remick “has not had a dedicated classroom for many years and was utilizing a flex space on campus. Now, her new music room is built with her specific needs in mind. We finally have space to house keyboards, recorders and other instruments as well as a practice space for our school choir and band.”
St. Rose High School, Belmar
St. Rose has expanded several academic programs. The business curriculum now offers nine courses – including Principles of Artificial Intelligence – designed to help students understand some of the most transformative technologies. The redesigned program of study enables students to pursue accelerated academic pathways in business, financial leadership, engineering and design. A second dedicated business learning center has been created for this purpose.
Through a new partnership with The College of New Jersey and the continued growth of the school’s dual-enrollment offerings, students have expanded opportunities to earn college credit while still in high school.
Living our Faith
St. Catharine, Spring Lake
St. Catharine School, Spring Lake, has adopted the theme “SCS: Sowers of Peace” for this school year. Faculty and staff began the year by receiving peace lilies for their classrooms as a reminder that, like seeds, acts of faith, kindness, and peace must be planted and nurtured to grow.
Inspired by the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis on Oct. 3, and joining Pope Leo XIV in prayer and recognition of the Year of St. Francis he promulgated, St. Catherine’s “will encourage its students to pray for peace, foster peace and be instruments of peace in their classrooms, on the playground, through athletics and in service to others. Our theme reflects who we want to be as a school community,” said Donna White, St. Catharine School principal.
Sister Carole MacKenthun’s weekly Thursday prayer group will offer special intentions for peace throughout the year. Service opportunities will include monthly ice cream sales, “Scoops of Peace,” to raise funds for Sister Carole’s mission in Uganda, which supports approximately 1,000 students each day. “Wonderful Wednesday Lunches” will invite students to bring an additional bagged lunch to support the St. Peter’s Community Lunch in Freehold.
St. Joan of Arc School, Marlton
Recalling that the U.S. Bishops formally consecrated the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the St. Joan of Arc School community hopes its theme, “Share God’s Love,” will serve as an inspiration for students, faculty and staff.
Plans include food drives for the Prince of Peace Community Food Pantry and Wiley Food Pantry, both in Marlton. Eighth-grade students will organize and prepare and serve a luncheon for senior parishioners, while the entire school will provide some musical entertainment and singing. The community also will collect toiletries, gloves, diapers and other necessities for The Unforgotten Haven to support those in need, and the tradition of having younger students pair with older prayer partners will continue.
