While many schools celebrate Catholic Schools Week with events aimed at the students and families they already serve, St. Benedict School in Holmdel took a different approach this year – spreading the word about their school to the wider community.

Eager to share information about the special nature of the school, many faculty, staff, volunteers, and parents participated in the school’s first-ever Catholic Schools Week press conference Feb. 1. Mary Granito, public relations coordinator for St. Benedict, explained the purpose was to thank members of the press for their support of Catholic education and to acquaint them with faculty and staff, new programs, recent enhancements to educational technologies, and future events. The school is also proud to share that with 512 students, it is at full enrollment.

Father Daniel Swift, pastor of St. Benedict Parish, quickly characterized the nature of the community as “joyful and caring” and said, “The students are a blessing, an absolute joy.”

He explained that Catholic education is unique because religion can be infused with any subject, recalling an instance when he was a guest speaker in a sixth-grade social studies class at the school. “I was able to talk about the Roman Empire and Christ as the ‘bright light.’ I came in with the Christian perspective and spoke about how our faith began,” Father Swift said.

On a tour prior to the luncheon, attendees viewed new technologies in action that enhance student learning, in particular Smart Boards and compatible hand-held, remotecontrols called Smart Response.

Students use the devices to answer questions interactively, and teachers track answers on software integrated with the Smart Boards, which have replaced traditional blackboards in many schools.

Jen DeBiase, a school board member, stated that there are Smart Boards in just about every classroom and noted that kindergarten classes will receive the technology by the end of February. Additionally, DeBiase explained that there are computers in every classroom, including kindergarten classes, where students receive weekly instruction.

New programs like ‘Adopt-an-Elder’ will assist senior citizens who may be isolated or sick and will also give students a new outlet for community service, according to parish administrator Cathy Warshaw-Garguilo.

A new anti-bullying program has been initiated by the Safe Environment Committee, and a program for special needs students is in the early planning phase. In an effort to keep the cost of tuition from rising, an ‘Adopt-A-Classroom’ program is promoting the concept of individual sponsorship with great success.

Summarizing the spirit and accomplishments of the school community he has led for the last five years, Father Swift stated, “We are full – full of student enthusiasm, full of activities, full of joy and full of blessings.”