THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 30, 1997 TAG: 9701300351
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALETA PAYNE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 60 lines
At Holy Trinity School in Norfolk, students studied the 1950s and 1960s before trading their uniforms for vintage clothes to rock and roll at a sock hop.
At St. Matthew's School in Virginia Beach, more than 400 guests attended the 13th annual Grandparents Appreciation Day Luncheon.
At Portsmouth Catholic Elementary School, students donated clothes and other goods for the needy during a special mass.
These and other events have marked Catholic Schools Week as it has been celebrated this week in South Hampton Roads and across the nation.
The annual event started out as a public relations campaign, but has become a celebration of ``what Catholic schools can offer,'' according to Maureen McCabe, assistant superintendent of schools for the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. The diocese includes Hampton Roads.
McCabe said the integration of faith into the learning process as well as strong academics are vital to what goes on in Catholic schools.
``We strive for excellence in both of them,'' she said. ``There's a constant strive for growth in both.''
There are about 5,200 students in Catholic elementary and high schools on the Peninsula and in Hampton Roads.
For the diocese as a whole, enrollment has increased steadily for at least the last five years.
Nationally, Catholic schools have earned attention for their success in educating diverse populations of students. And public schools have shown increased interest in such parochial school traditions as uniforms for students.
Catholic schools are often considered models for enforcing high standards of discipline for their students.
McCabe emphasized that few Catholic school students leave because of disciplinary problems. The responsibility for behavior is placed on the child and taught as an integrated part of lessons along with faith, McCabe said.
She also said, however, because many matters are handled at the school by the principal, discipline can be handled swiftly and without all the bureaucratic requirements placed on public schools.
And private schools do not have to accept all students who wish to enroll.
Patricia Wirth, a Chesapeake mother of three children at St. Matthew's, said she and her husband like the religious education, high academic standards and the order at the school.
``The teachers practically live their lives there,'' she said. ``It's like one big family.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MORT FRYMAN/The Virginian-Pilot
Father Jim Griffin of St. Theres's Catholic Church held a Mass
Wednesday to kick off a clothing drive for the homeless.
Portsmouth Catholic Elementary School students attended a Mass
Wednesday at St. Theres's Catholic Church in Chesapeake. From left,
they are Sam Reynolds, Maggie Campbell, Jacob Pierce, Maria Meyers
and Tommy Miano.