Graduation Speech for the St. Ann Class of 2019

St. Ann 8th grade graduation took place last Wednesday. I was asked by a number of people for a copy of my graduation speech. Figured the easiest thing to do would be to post the speech as my blog, and share it with everyone. So, here it is. Hope you enjoy it.

In the name of our pastor, Fr. Ernie DeBlasio, our associate pastor, Fr. Bill Parham, and the staff of St. Ann Catholic School, I would like to welcome you to the graduation ceremony for the St. Ann Class of 2019.

Thank you Fr. Bill for the wonderful invocation and your participation is this evening’s celebration.

I have a number of thank yous to start off this evening, with the first thank you going out to the parents and grandparents of these 8^th graders for choosing Catholic education at St. Ann. I’ve been told about how many families left St. Ann in the past for what they considered to be greener pastures. You stayed true to the course and made the decision to keep your child at St. Ann. Thank you for entrusting us to educate your children. Thank you for making the financial sacrifices you have made in doing the best you can for your children.

Thank you to the St. Ann faculty and staff. I can tell you this about the wonderful individuals I get to work with every day; they are some of the best people I have ever worked with. As a faculty and staff, this is the best group I have ever worked with; hands down the best. To me, each and every member of the St. Ann faculty and staff hung the moon. To the faculty and staff of St. Ann Catholic School, I thank you and applaud you.

Thank you to Mr. John Baum and the band minus the 8^th graders for your participation in the graduation ceremony.

Thank you to everyone who helped to make yesterday’s baccalaureate and today’s graduation possible.

A special thank you to Mrs. Angela de Jong and Mrs. Stacey Griffith for their work in organizing the 8^th grade trip to Washington DC. That was a fantastic adventure and I was glad to be a part of the trip.

When I was a high school student at CBHS, most of my classmates were St. Ann Colts. My classmates took a lot of pride in being Colts. Back then, St. Ann was the biggest of the Catholic Schools. Times and numbers have changed but the honor of being a Colt has not.

Even though times have changed, the importance of receiving a Catholic Education hasn’t changed. Just like then, families today still have to work hard and sacrifice to be able to afford a Catholic Education for their children. This is one man’s opinion from having put my children through Catholic Schools from PK through college; the hard work and sacrifice are well worth it. And, I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Well eighth graders, tonight is it. In a very short time, you will all be graduates of St. Ann Catholic School. For the rest of your lives, you will be a St. Ann Colt.  Congratulations! That is quite an honor.

Just an FYI, I am the new guy. I have nine more days of being the new guy.  I didn’t know much about St. Ann last June when I started working here. About the only time I had any interaction with most of you 8^th graders was in the cafeteria and hallways unless one of you was sent to the office for doing something wrong or because of drama. And, there was definitely no shortage of drama.

I’m thankful for being a part of the 8^th grade trip because it gave me the opportunity to get to know you. And, I had a lot of fun on that trip.

Having been a high school educator for twenty years, I have some advice for you as you prepare for your first year of high school.

The first thing is don’t stand on the sidelines watching the world go by. Get in the game! What I mean by that is don’t be an 8am to 3pm student. Join clubs, try out for teams, participate, get involved, risk. I had a student one time tell me that they never tried out for anything because they were afraid they might not make the team. That student never got in the game because of the fear of failure. Don’t be afraid to fail.

The second thing is that lessons are learned when you fail. The first thing you learn when you fail is that it doesn’t feel good, but failing is a necessary occurrence in order for you to grow. If you never fail, it is probably because you never stepped outside of your comfort zone. If you never step out of your comfort zone, you will never change. If you never change, you will never grow. Change is how you improve on who you are, what you do, and how you can make a positive change in the world. “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Another lesson you learn when you fail, is how to get up, dust yourself off, and stand on your own two feet. And, every time you get up, you become better and stronger. If you want to succeed, plan to fail. Success takes place when you get up and keep moving forward despite failure.

Once again, get involved and your high school years will be much more enjoyable and something you will always treasure. Don’t be the 8 to 3 student. Get involved and make a difference.

As the great American philosopher Dennis Myers once said, “Do not deny the world the gift of you.” Give to the world the gift of you. God made you for a purpose, and I do not believe that purpose is for you to sit back and watch.

Now for some advice for life:

The dean of students at Helias Catholic High School in Jefferson City, Missouri would pass along to the seniors what he called “Advice for Life.” I decided to do the same but to create and share my own list of Advice for Life.

Dream Big for God created you to do His work.

Wherever you go, leave it better than you found it.

When something goes wrong, look for a solution instead of looking to blame.

Be the first one to greet the new person in the room or the new kid at school.

Smile! For no reason just smile. And, be the reason for someone else’s smile.

No matter how bad a dancer you are, be the first one on the dance floor.

What you think of yourself is much more important than what people think of you.

You have to love yourself first before you can love others.

The more you love yourself, the less nonsense you will tolerate.

Respect the person you see in the mirror.

Don’t play the victim! Stand up and deal with it.

Also, don’t create the victim. People have enough problems without you creating more for them.

Be the leader and lead in a positive light.

Enthusiasm is the key to happiness; stay excited about everything you do.

Learn to tell clean jokes.

Don’t watch too much TV.

Write thank you notes.

Turn your cell phone off and enjoy the people you are with.

Talk to God every day, even if it is only long enough to say “thank you.”  In other words: Pray!

Volunteer to help.

Saying I love you to your parents is actually pretty cool.

The word “Please” is magical.  Use it.

When you aren’t sure what to wear, remember that it is better to be overdressed than underdressed.

Sing in church.

Make your bed every morning.

Avoid tobacco.

Tell the truth. Be trustworthy. If you say you are going to do something, do it. Say what you mean and mean what you say.

Don’t miss a chance to sincerely pay someone a compliment.

Understand that in today’s world nearly anything you do can be Googled years from now by a prospective employer or a potential mother-in-law.

Before you do anything you know is wrong, think about the possible consequences and be prepared to accept them.

Don’t make excuses. And, when it is your fault, admit it. I’m sorry heals a lot of wounds.

Travel. When you have an opportunity to go on vacation, take it.

Learn to laugh at yourself.

If you would not want your parents to read it, don’t post it and don’t text it.

Act goofy every once in a while! Life is too short to be serious all the time.

Stay in touch with your classmates. If not, there are some classmates you will never see again after this graduation ceremony. Sad but true.

Never get a tattoo on the same day the idea strikes you.

You are a have and not a have not. You have a responsibility to help those most in need. As Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

8^th graders, this is a big day for you.  The best years of your lives are ahead of you.  In the next four years of high school, enjoy, work hard, participate, make friends, avoid drama, learn, fail, succeed, change, grow, be happy, and most importantly remember that God loves you.

With that being said, let’s move forward with this graduate.  Thank you.

God bless you,

Didier Aur, Principal

Annual Giving

Giving is not just about making a donation. It is about making a difference. And, the best way to make a difference in the life of a child is through education. Education is the best way to help reduce poverty. Education expands economic development. Education will help boost individual income. Education increases our chances of living a healthy lifestyle. Education promotes gender equality. Education promotes peace. Education helps to eliminate crime. Education promotes the development of life skills. Education leads to a lifetime of learning. Education bolsters abstract thinking. Education is one of the most important investments we can make in our children and their future.

Investing in quality education brings the highest returns from individuals, societies and countries. Children who have access to quality educational programs do better in primary school and will have better education outcomes later. It is vital that we invest more in our children's education.

At St. Ann, it is vital that all of us invest more in early childhood, elementary, and middle school education. Providing families a quality education is the reason the St. Ann Annual Giving drive is so important to the future of our children. Our mission statement tells our story. "Our mission is to provide a Catholic education through faith, service, and love." If we want to continue to fulfill our mission, annual giving has to be successful.

We have many families who are able to pay full tuition, but not as many as you would think. We have many who struggle, stretch their budget, and sacrifice to be able to give their children a Catholic education. And, we have many who no matter how much they stretch their budget, cannot afford to pay full tuition. That's why we do everything in our power not to increase tuition. That is why we are leading the charge to find a way to make Catholic education affordable to all. And, that is why the annual giving campaign is important to St. Ann.

Here is a break down for overall giving to St. Ann for last year and this year. Last year's goal was a very modest goal of $30,000. Knowing that we need to work hard to keep tuition steady, we set a very high goal for St. Ann in overall giving for this year. We are nearing our goal but are behind in St. Ann families participating as well as in alumni giving. As I've mentioned before, without alumni support, private schools will not survive. We will not survive because tuition will have to increase to the point that only a handful of families will be able to afford to pay.

You will also notice on our giving spreadsheet that in-kind donations are over half of the giving. The in-kind donations come from supporters to pay for school improvements and enhancements. The in-kind donations go to support a particular ask such as speakers, chess boards, tripods, security cameras..... We have asked and you have responded in kindness. Thank you.

The donation spreadsheet does not cover Vision money, Home & School fundraisers, and Fall Fest.

Click on the Picture to Donate

We are still in need of a few more donations to help with the purchase of the knowledge bowl team buzzer system. Contact our school office if you are willing and able to help with this purchase. If we do not budget for an item, we may not purchase it. It can only be purchased through in-kind donations. After working in non-profit for thirty years, I have learned to be very frugal with other people's money.

Some of the donations are earmarked for specific items or even departments such as band or physical education. We honor the donor's designation of gifts. If the donor does not designated the recipient of a gift, we earmark that towards annual giving. That's our favorite donation because we use those donations to help us balance the budget. Just like any business, we have to balance our budget.

A friend of mine in Dallas taught me a lot about fundraising and business. He would tell me that as a non-profit, every time I send out any type of communiqué, an ask should be included. Without raising funds, non-profits would not exist. Much like a for-profit business, if you don't make the sale, you'll soon be closing your doors.

Click on the Logo to
Support St. Ann

With that being said, here's my ask for this week's blog. If you have not participated in our annual fund drive, please consider a gift of $100 to St. Ann Catholic School. Without support from our families, friends, and community, the affordability of an education at St. Ann will continue to exclude families wanting a Catholic education for their children. Being a Catholic School, we need to be inclusive and not exclusive.

I do want to clarify a misconception about scholarships. Please think of scholarships as financial assistance. We do not give scholarships in the form of merit (scholastic or athletic). All scholarships are awarded on the basis of need. The average family receiving aid this year is headed by a single parent with two children in school, and have a yearly income of approximately $35,000. In the past, scholarships were awarded for other reasons. We want to be accountable and transparent to our donors who give to help families in need. If we award financial aid to families who can afford to send their children to St. Ann, we would be doing an injustice to the donors' wishes.

Student Update:

Dominic Podesta has been training with Bartlett ATA since he was five years old, starting in the the Tiger program. At the age of seven, he aged out of that class and had to test for his next belt. Normally, you get either an orange or yellow belt and then go into the lower rank class. He tested out of the lower rank class and earned his camo belt, which only two other children had  earned in the last twelve years. For the past two years, Dominic has been in the higher rank class earning his belts. He started competing in tournaments for one and a half years. This year, he finished the tournament season earning 1st and 3rd places at nationals in Orlando, five state titles, and will be going to districts in Atlanta to compete in eight events. He also recently earned his 1st black belt!

Cassie Harmon has had a big year as a dancer. On April 6th, she competed at Revolution Talent Competition West Memphis Regionals to qualify for Nationals. Her seven groups did very well with several high awards and top 5 ranking. Cassie's solo took home 3rd place overall in intermediate junior soloist age 9-11, 1st place in contemporary category intermediate age 10, and a platinum score award winner. On the weekend of the 27th, Cassie represented Dance Dynamics Memphis. Seven of her eight dances earned platinum scores and placed in the top five rankings in their individual overall line ups, multiple category winners, and a special outstanding choreography award. She won several first place honors for her age group in junior soloist and contemporary category. She place first out of thirty-one entries in her solo division. Next up for Cassie are two shows at her end of the year recital for Dance Dynamics Memphis taking place at Briarcrest High School on Saturday, June 8th, at 1 and 6 pm. The performance is free and all are welcomed to attend. She finishes the 2019 competitive season at Revolution Talent Competition Nationals in Pensacola, FL, June 24th-28th, Good luck Cassie and keep us updated on your progress.

God bless you,
Didier Aur, Principal
St. Ann Catholic School

Award Winning Colt Band

Award Winning Colt Band

As the bus carries the St. Ann Concert Band back to Bartlett from the Music in the Parks band competition in St. Louis, MO, I'm taking advantage of the bus WiFi to write my blog. The bus isn't just bringing home the Colt Band, it is bringing home the award winning Colt Band! After their best performance of the year, the Colt Band earned a 2nd place finish while receiving a rating of Excellent in the competition!

Getting Ready to Compete!

I have the opportunity of listening to our band perform every day because choir and band take place every day at St. Ann for the 5th-8th grade. And for the 6th-8th grade band members, they have been working with Mr. Baum at the end of the school day in the Extracurricular Exploration class. They have put in a lot of work and it has paid off. The students rose to the level of the competition and played beautifully. I'm super proud of our band students and the performance they gave. I'm looking forward to the spring concert on Thursday, May 2nd, at 6:30 at St. Ann Church. Both the band and choir will be performing at the spring concert. The concert is open to the public. Please join us.

Showing Off Our Trophy

Want to thank Mr. Ryan Cooper for stepping in at the last minute to accompany the band to St. Louis to fill in as conductor for John Baum. Mr. Baum decided he should have a mild stroke this week so that he wouldn't have to travel to St. Louis for the competition. Instead, he went to St. Francis for treatment. Fortunately, he was only there for one night and then back home. We are putting Mr. Baum on a diet and exercise regimen. We need him healthy and eating no more chocolate from the school office or drinking Mountain Dew; only water, carrot sicks and celery. That goes for me as well. We love Mr. Baum and don't want anything to happen to him. He is a shining jewel for SAS and our students. A healthy lifestyle begins tomorrow, but definitely not today.

Wonder Women, SAS Moms

Many of the band parents joined us on the trip, and had a wonderful time. We spent all day Saturday at Six Flags riding the rides. I believe many of the parents enjoyed Six Flags as much as the students did. Marquinet Hence, Lori Locke, Lauren Damore, Steve Sones, and Ryan Cooper rode just about every ride in the park besides the kiddie rides.

I rode the Batman, Ninja, Boomerang and Screamin' Eagle. That's when this old body of mine needed a break.  The Screamin' Eagle just flat-out beat me up. After that, I had to sit for awhile and recover. I spent the day at an amusement park and didn't eat a pronto pup, funnel cake, or turkey leg. That might actually be an un-American thing to do. Don't know what I was thinking. Think the rides scrambled my brains a bit. Need to make up for that at the St. Ann Fall Fest. Will there be turkey legs at the fall fest? Need to add that to the menu. Just sayin'.

Click to View 2020 Schedule

We are already planning the trip for next year. Mr. Cooper said that next year we will need two buses because the choir will also be going. Love it and cannot wait. We will shut down the middle school for the competition. I have already checked out the Music in the Parks locations and dates for 2020. I would like for St. Ann to participate in Music in the Parks at a different location every year so that our students have a different experience every year.

After Conquering the Ninja
(Looking a little green)

Mrs. Metaxas and the fifth graders went to Nashville. Mrs. Griffith and the sixth graders went to Discovery Park in Union City. The 7th graders went to the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs, MS. The band went to St. Louis. The 8th graders will be going to Washington D.C. We are making plans for an even bigger and better 2019-20 school year. What I'm hoping to include is a mission trip for next year's 7th and 8th graders. I will start working on that this summer. Need to take our bowling team to compete somewhere fun. Coach Angotti and Coach Fillion, please start researching to find a tournament. I'm sure there is an elementary/middle school bowling tournament in Hawaii, Key West, or the Bahamas. Once again, just sayin'.

On another front, this week is ITBS/CoGAT/ACRE/easyCBM week!

A Photo Bombing Opportunity!

Yeah! Aren't we all excited?! Anyway, the students will be testing all week this week. We are moving the Rosary to Wednesday afternoon instead of the morning so that the morning will be used for testing. It is better to test in the morning than afternoon.

Friday's Colt-a-thon and field day will be a welcomed relief for everyone. This will be followed by the 7th/8th grade dance that evening. So, we have another action packed week of hard work and excitement ahead of us. Get fired up and excited. Be positive and energetic. Stay focused and attentive. This week will be an extremely worthwhile week for St. Ann as we continue to improve by giving our best effort. Let's get this done without anyone being a Drama Llama.

See you in morning!

God bless you,
Didier Aur, Principal
St. Ann Catholic School

Happy :)

5th Grade Altar Servers with Fr. Bill

I wasn't planning to blog during Easter weekend because there are more important things to do during this weekend, especially to go to church and spend time with family. Between attending services at St. Ann and St. Michael and being with my family, it was a pretty full and wonderful weekend. But, I decided to take part of today to write a blog for this week. I'll take another week off some other time.

I will begin with a realization that struck me

Empty Tabernacle on Holy Thursday

like a jolt when Fr. Ernie left the tabernacle empty at the end of the Holy Thursday Mass. I was actually moved and saddened seeing the empty tabernacle. That's when I realized that when the tabernacle is empty, the tomb is not, and vice-versa; full tabernacle equals an empty tomb. I know for most people it is probably a "duh, of course it is" moment. For me, it was a very moving epiphany. If I got nothing else out of Easter this year, that realization is enough for me in appreciating even more Jesus's sacrifice for us all. Without the resurrection, Christianity would not exist. An empty tabernacle means no resurrection.

That's why the chief priests and elders "gave a large sum of money to the soldiers" to say that "His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep." This is from today's Gospel reading. (Matthew 28:8-15) If they convinced everyone that the resurrection did not take place, then there would be no risen Lord.

As for this blog, you might think that the title of this blog, Happy :), is for Happy Easter. I guess it could be since this is the most important day for all of Christendom. So, I do wish everyone a Happy Easter, and that all of you spent time in prayer giving thanks for the resurrection.

As for the title, it is for another Happy. So, I have an assignment for St. Ann families. Actually, this assignment is for anyone reading this blog. When you are looking for something to do as a family, please take the time to watch the  documentary Happy by Roko Belic on Netflix. The reason I suggest watching Happy as a family is because it is a documentary and some of the younger family members might need just a little explaining about what some of the researchers are saying about happiness. In this fast-paced, self-centered, negative leaning, materialistic world of instant gratification we live in; we many times forget the importance of happiness, compassion, caring, gratitude, love, appreciation, while thinking of things bigger than ourselves, and making the world a better place.

This documentary shows the happiest and least happiest people on earth. The producers/researchers of this documentary traveled the globe to learn more about happiness. We could all use a big dose of happiness and a lot less drama and unhappiness. It is easy to get caught up in a world of negativity. In my family, we call it negativitude. This just means having a negative attitude. Need to replace it with lots and lots of positivitude. Or as Jason Mraz says in his song Have It All, "May the best of your todays be the worst of your tomorrows." Happy is definitely worth watching. If you need some happiness, this might just be the kick start you need. It was a great reminder to me to focus more energy to just be happy.

I was able to spend half of Holy Thursday and all of Good Friday at St. Ann all by myself trying my best to make the school better for next year. We are up to date on teacher contracts for the 2019-20 school year. Still have a few more hires to make because we are growing. I have also completed a big chunk of the budget for next year. There are a few things to add but not many.

With the improvements we have made, people recognize the changes being made to make our school a better place for our students. And, these folks believe in our mission and the work we are doing so they are entrusting their children to our care. This means the number of students and families joining our school is on the rise. We have already surpassed this year's enrollment for next year, and it is still April.

No matter how much we've improved, there are a few families who believe the grass is greener somewhere else and some who don't like the fact that I'm asking the teachers to push the students to the next level. That's fine. My job is not to make everyone happy. My job is to make St. Ann the best school possible. We've made lots of improvements and plan to make even more in the future.

I was once told by a great leader that if I and my actions are universally liked, then I'm not pushing hard enough.

With that being said, my goal is to make St. Ann the best school. Another goal is to be the best principal I can possibly be. I don't show up every day to be average. I don't work hard to just get by. I don't work to bring people on board trying to be mediocre. I do all these things in striving to be the best. And, I'm going to do it through hard work, putting together a great team, and most importantly by being HAPPY! For those who are on board and happy, let's kick this pig, together! In other words, let's get started! Let's get started anew every morning in making St. Ann a better school.

Alumni Spotlight:

Ashlen Cook made the Color Guard team at SBA! SBA is starting a marching band and color guard for the first time starting next school year. Also, the SBA Rock and Soul Band went to Atlanta last weekend for a band trip and performed for the students at Hamilton Middle & High School. In addition, their last concert will be this coming Sunday, April 28th, at Neil's Music Room from 4-6 pm. Cover charge is $5. Ashlen is a vocalist for the band and there are four other St. Ann alums in the band- Jack Conway, Wyatt Packard, Matthew Li, and Andrew Mays.

If you have never been to Neil's, it is a treat. Neil Heins is a great guy and a supporter of Catholic education.

God bless you,
Didier Aur, Principal

Holy Week!

1st Mexico Mission Trip 2008 in Diamante

I cannot believe that Holy Week is already here. I look forward to this week mainly because of the special memories it holds for me. When I was at Helias Catholic High School in Jefferson City, MO, I would take a group of students on mission to Mexico during Holy Week where we would team up with the students and teachers of Collegio Regis LaSalle.

The purpose of the mission was to take the

Mexico Mission Team in Cerro Blanco

consecrated hosts into the small villages in the Sonoran Desert so the locals could receive the Eucharist every day of Holy Week. Each of the small villages has a two-room school house and a church.  But, there are so many of these villages, usually 5 to 10 kilometers apart, that there aren't enough priest to go into the villages to provide the Eucharist during Holy Week. So, the missionaries would spend Holy Week in these villages in order to provide the locals with communion service where everyone had an opportunity to receive the body of Christ.

Cerro Blanco Concrete Floor Team 2009

It is my understanding that the Bishops of Mexico came up with the idea of creating missions where the missionaries are made up mainly of high school students from the Catholic Schools in Mexico. They train all year so they will be prepared for living in the villages and leading all Holy Week events and activities. Not only do the missionaries lead the Holy Week events and activities, they also serve the people of the villages by doing home repairs, organizing clean up projects, and even working to build churches.

On one mission trip to Cerro Blanco, our group of 17 missionaries (15 students and 2 chaperons) teamed up with some of the locals and installed a concrete floor in a church. The church had a dirt floor and no roof. Since then, another team has installed a roof on the church as well. I just got on to Apple Maps and was able to find Cerro Blanco on the satellite map. I found the church and it does have a roof on it.

Church Repair Team, Hermosillo 2010

On another mission to the outskirts of Hermosillo, we helped to refinish a church in order to have it ready for Easter Mass. We not only completed the work, we were also able to attend Mass there that Easter.

While in the villages, it is a tradition for the locals to invite the missionaries to their homes for lunch. This is when I learned that those who have the least give the most. It is amazing how that happens, and I have seen the same thing happen over and over. It is not always the case of the least giving the most because there are plenty of people who are well to do who reach deep to help others.

Anyway, back to my mission story. We would

Ana Lopez, my Mexican
Mission trip partner

be invited to lunch with folks that had almost nothing. As missionaries, we would go out in groups of two or three as to not overburden our hosts. They wanted to share their almost nothing with us as a thanks for our work as missionaries. I believe their almost nothing actually contributed to more kindness, more humility, more caring, and bigger hearts.

Eucharistic Minister in
Cerro Blanco

The most memorable meal was when a blind lady invited three of us to eat at her two roomed cinder block hut with dirt floors. She served homemade corn tortilla cooked on a wood-burning stove that was actually an oil barrel with a hole on the side to fill with wood. We watched as she hand-rolled tortillas and placed them on the stove top to cook. Since she was blind, she cooked by touch and feel without the use of any cooking utensils. Those were the best tortillas I've ever eaten, and being in her humble home made us appreciate her gift of food even more.

On Good Friday, we would reenact the Station of the Cross in full

uniform including Jesus carrying a cross. Each station was set up throughout the village as we would precess to the highest point in the village, which was usually a small mound, to the final station for the crucifixion. Everyone in the village took part in the stations. The American students learned their lines in Spanish in order to participate. It was powerful seeing your students on the cross next to Jesus. One year, I was a Roman guard. I did not like playing that role. Even though it was a reenactment, I could not force myself to turn around to watch Jesus carrying the cross.

Team Cerro Blanco in La Y Griega

Also on Good Friday, weird things would take place. One year, the full moon of Easter was extra bright and appeared to have a ring around it making it look like Saturn. The missionaries in the other villages saw it as well. The following year, we had rain and strong winds for most of the night on Good Friday. I know it rained because I slept outside in the Sonoran Desert during these missions. The next morning, I asked one of the locals about the rain. His reply was that he had never seen rain in that village except in December.

Satellite View of Cerro Blanco

On Easter Sunday, before the mission came to an end, all the missionaries and many of the locals from all the villages would attend Mass in La Y Griega, which is a part of the city of Caborca. Easter Mass was a celebration like I've never seen in a Catholic Church. The students celebrated and danced as they received the Eucharist. The priest was so overcome with joy that he just sat and watched the students sing hymns and dance, which took place after nearly 250 students had a group hug with the priest. I'm not too proud to say that I was overcome with tears and emotions watching this celebration of love and resurrection. It was always a great ending to fantastic missions.

I long to return to missions with my great Mexican friends from Colegio Regis. I hope to one day take students back to Hermosillo for missions. My life and the lives of all the missionaries changed for the better on every mission trip we attended.

Seth Nichols, 2015
Jacob Christian, 2016

On my final two mission trips in Mexico, I was partnered with Ana Lopez. We formed a great team and were the lead chaperons in Hermosillo and Cerro Blanco. She was like my little sister. Several years ago, Ana lost her battle to cancer. When Holy Week arrives, I think of Ana and the great times we had leading the high school missionaries in the deserts of Mexico. Ana Lopez...Pray for us!

Nick Agnew, 2014
Tony Craig, 2016

Since today is the first day of Holy Week, the students of the Catholic Schools throughout Mexico are now in the villages serving as God's ambassadors sharing His love with those who normally don't have the opportunity of receiving the Eucharist. Please pray for these missionaries and the success of their mission. They are spending a life-changing week doing what we all should be doing every day; serving God by living Matthew 25:40.

Student and Alumni Spotlight.

Adam F.

St. Ann was well represented at the 55th Annual State Bowling Tournament in Smyrna this weekend with both current students and alumni taking to the lanes. Adam Fillion ('20), and Ethan Nichols ('22), bowled in all events including singles, doubles and team. The team that Ethan was on came in 7th in the State out of 37 teams in their division. Alumni Nick Agnew ('14), Seth Nichols ('15), Jacob Christian ('16), and Tony Craig ('16) also bowled in singles, doubles and team. To participate, bowlers must be in a junior sanctioned bowling league.

Taylor D.

This weekend, Taylor Damore played in the St. Louis Scott Gallagher Soccer Tournament with his Arlington Soccer Association '07 team! They had snow in that area this weekend so I know it was cold.

One last thing, I have to share a picture of our students using the new headphones in the computer lab thanks to Jim and Susan Garts!

Please keep St. Ann in your prayers as we make our way through Holy Week.

With Easter Break coming up, the next blog will come out in two weeks unless some fantastic things take place between now and then.

God bless you and have a fantastic Holy Week,
Didier Aur, Principal
St. Ann Catholic School

Kindness Diaries

There is so much to write about for this week's blog that I'm not really sure where to start. But, it is 8:45 pm right now and I'm just getting started. Don't want this to be a late night so I better type fast because wherever I am in the blog at 10:30 pm, that's where I'm going to stop.

The last line of our prayer every morning at St. Ann is "Perform small acts of kindness throughout the day." Have you ever watched the Kindness Diaries on Netflix? In the Kindness Diaries, a gentleman by the name of Leon travels the world. He does so with no money. He does not accept money from anyone. He only accepts food and a bed for himself, and gasoline for his motorcycle named Kindness One. He relies 100% on the kindness of others to make it around the world. If he receives no food, he doesn't eat. If he receives no invitation to sleep, he has to brave the elements.

Not sure where I'm going with this except to say that this is what I am trying my best to teach our students; KINDNESS! It is important to show kindness to everyone we meet be they strangers or the classmate sitting two feet away. We must show kindness; this means in the way we talk, act, react, including our body language and facial expressions. Part of being kind is to be inclusive and not exclusive.

Unfortunately, we live in a time when it is easier to be negative than positive. In our modern world of social media where people feel invincible and invisible, we are surrounded with fault finding, blaming, insults, and passing on responsibility that we often times forget the simple act of kindness, forgiveness, and not condemning others as Jesus did in today's Gospel reading;
Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She replied, "No one, sir." Then Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more." Jesus was not concerned with a person's past. He was and still is concerned with what lies ahead for each and every one of us.

If we spend more time and give more effort to being kind, we wouldn't have to waste so much time and effort trying to correct situations that come about because of a lack of kindness. "Neither do I condemn you."

I am using the Kindness Diaries with my 7th grade World Geography class to help them understand the importance of kindness, and how kindness can improve the lives of the giver and receiver.

My 7th graders had a 100 point test last Thursday. It was a pretty tough test. But to help the students, I always give at least one extra credit question. Their extra credit question was: "What act of KINDNESS have you performed today?" Half of my students answered the question. I can be an optimist or pessimist about their response. I can be happy that half of my students performed an act of kindness that day. Or, I can be sad that I'm failing in teaching half of my students to be kind. I think I'll take the optimist road because I know bad things spread fast and good things take time to cultivate. By the end of the school year, I'm hoping my 7th graders all create their own Kindness Diaries.

On another front, you know I'm very big into communication and transparency. I don't like rumors so I don't give people an opportunity to create rumors due to the lack of information. Please understand that I am limited in certain situations as to how much information I share. With that understanding, we have made a change in the Art program at St. Ann. Kathy Herbert will be the art teacher for this week until we can find a permanent replacement. I have several people interested in teaching art at St. Ann, and the interviews will begin this week. That's as much as I can say about any developments in our Art program at this time. 

Student Spotlight:

Marcella Han is a first grader at St. Ann. She is part of a competitive dance team. She and her teammates competed in their last competition of the year this weekend at Starpower at the Cannon Center. They earned 4.75 stars out of possible 5 points, a first place in their category, and a third place overall. Marcella has danced for 4-years, and this is her second competition this year. Back in December, she also auditioned and was casted in Moscow's Great Russian Ballet Nutcracker. Congratulations Marcella.

With all the dancers at our school, maybe we should start a dance team. I am working to hire someone who will bring theater/plays back to St. Ann for next year. Our dancers can all perform there. More news to come on this front.

Ansley McLure competed this weekend in the Delta Regional Championship with her club volleyball team, Memphis Metro. Her team closed out the competitive season with 6 match wins! Ansley was a starting player this year for her team, playing the positions of setter and all around. 

In this student spotlight, I want to write about the great work of our band. I have asked Mr. John Baum, our band director, to take our band program up a couple of notches. I asked and he has responded with flying colors. Our band has performed and will continue to perform in several band events and competitions. The solo and ensemble band competition took place on Saturday. Below is a list of results for our band students.

SUPERIOR (Blue medal):  Chloe Nguyen, Jonathan Clowney, Alex Yong,  Ethan Christian (2), Laci McGhee, Ethan Nichols, Caleb Brapoh,  Jacob Myers, Devin Eaton, Adeolew Adebiyi, Conor Dwyer, Gino Anzovino

EXCELLENT (Red Medal):  Ian Ladd, Adam Locke, James Kargauer, Sarah Eaton, Vincent Bomprezzi, Rahmad Caster, Luca de Young, Jake Fister, Joyce Galvez, Jan Galvez. 

GOOD:  Brett Battle, Isabella Bomprezzi, Hunter Burgess, Aiden Dickerson, Isaiah Hence, Bryce Sones, Nick Clanton, Taylor Damore, Brendon Descovich

We had no student score lower than  “GOOD”!

Earlier today, both the band and 5th grade choir performed at the Catholic Schools Concert at St. Benedict. Both groups did an excellent job of representing St. Ann. They were outstanding, and I'm extremely proud of our band, choir, Ryan Cooper, and John Baum. Thank you everyone for a job well-done!

Lots going on this week as we rapidly approach Easter with 2nd graders preparing for First Communion and the 8th graders preparing for Confirmation. We also have the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the final easyCBM coming up soon. The 5th and 8th graders will also be taking the ACRE (Assessment of Catholic Religious Education) Test.

So, the final Jeopardy answer is "The end of the school year is rapidly approaching and we have much to accomplish." The final Jeopardy questions is "Why do we need your prayers for our teachers and students?"

God bless you,

Didier Aur, Principal

St. Ann Catholic School