Be the Hands of Jesus

HAWTHORNE  Catholic Schools Week kicked off at St. Anthony School here Jan. 29 with both students and parents joining hands to help others as the school community celebrated the theme, “Be the Hands of Jesus.”

Following the 8:30 a.m. Sunday Mass, students and their parents worked together side by side in the school’s gym, cafeteria and classrooms where project stations were set up to make a difference in the lives of others. These projects helped the homeless, the sick, animals in shelters a local zoo, U.S. servicemen and women, veterans and reached all the way to children in Uganda.

The Family Service Day was coordinated by the school’s Service Club, which consists of students grades 5-8. The students researched different organizations and decided to help several different causes, among them. Project Linus, an organization that provides homemade blankets to children in need; Sole Hope, a project that creates shoes for children in Uganda; Letters of Gratitude, part of Operation Gratitude in which students write letters that are sent with care packages to U.S. military serving overseas; Ramapo Animal Shelter goodie bag that includes dog treats and toys, and the Bergen County Zoo, for which they made a birdfeeder.

Raquel Jacquet, a seventh grader and member of the Service Club, worked on paracord bracelets for the military through Operation Gratitude. “I feel honored to give back to those people who served our country through the military,” she told The Beacon. “With these paracords, servicemen and women use the cords to stow gear, secure supplies and even for survival.”

Across the gym, working on another project was Ulises Salazar, who was with his daughter, Zoey, in pre-k4 and his wife, Danielle. The family was working on blankets for Project Linus. “The service day teaches the kids the importance of giving back and allows us to spend time together as a family,” Salazar said. “It is one of the things that make us happy to send Zoey here.”

To make the day a success, faculty members led the projects including AnnMarie Peterson, social studies teacher for the upper grades. She led a project called the Peace Wall. Each family was asked to create a tile to be hung on the hallway wall as a way to show togetherness and love during this special time when the school celebrates Catholic education and social justice. “We wanted to concentrate on good, compassion and loving one another. It’s an important message needed right now,” Peterson said,

Another teacher, Amy Ludke, was leading a group involved in Color a Smile, a national organization that delivers pages to retirement homes, homeless shelters and hospitals. The work is hung on walls and bulletin boards to brighten up the atmosphere and bring joy to people. “The students were all excited to come today even though it was a Sunday,” Ludke said. “They want to be involved in helping the world.”

The idea to host a Family Service Day was the brainchild of Elisa Wares, third-grade teacher. “Every year, we focus a lot on the knowledge part of Catholic Schools Week. This year we thought it was important to focus on the service part and the theme as all of us being the hands of Jesus,” she said.

In addition to the Family Service Day, Catholic Schools Week activities at St. Anthony’s included a Family STEM Night, a school-wide Catholic Trivia Challenge, a Penny Wars contest with proceeds going to cancer patients, a dance party and a “Thank You for your Service” breakfast for members of the parish and local communities.”

Liam Tuohey-Kay, a seventh-grader, called Family Service Day a rousing success, saying, “This has been a great turn out with the families from the school coming together to provide for the community and those less fortunate. The students took a lot of pride doing this and we hope we made a difference.”