Think back to the days that you were a student in Catholic School. Chances are your recollection includes religious sisters teaching in rooms overflowing with 50 students who often shared desks that were kept in straight rows and screwed securely to the floor! Your books included the Cathedral Basic Reader, The Baltimore Catechism and DeLaSalle Arithmetic books.  If this is your memory, you share it with three million students who attended Catholic elementary schools through most of the 20th century.

Today things are very different. Few religious sisters or priests teach regularly. Class sizes are generally 20 students. Classrooms have student learning centers with small clusters of desks.  Textbooks are secular. The religion books reflect age appropriate Catholic Church teaching. Computers, DVD’s and Internet access are the technology of the day.  The pace of change in our Catholic schools has increased rapidly with every indication pointing to continued emphasis on best educational practices and future growth. St. Thomas More School is no exception to this trend.

What is it then, that distinguishes our parish school from its public counterparts? Happily it is the one thing that never changed over the years. Simply put, it’s Catholic Identity. Families and educators who share the Catholic School experience know that a parish school allows for growth in the Catholic vision of life and tradition. The ripple effect of this experience is what forms the mission for St. Thomas More School and the reason for its place in our parish.

St. Thomas More School students know God’s presence and reality in their daily lives. St. Thomas More School teachers present the life and teachings of Jesus with conviction and without apology. Faith is thecurriculum of St. Thomas More School. Our school presents a daily challenge for students to live the Christian point of view.  Students are encouraged to reach for the highest possible personal level through stewardship and academic performance. Students learn that living as a Catholic Christian is not something you put on and take off according to circumstances. It is the daily lifestyle of choice.

Still, what is important enough about St. Thomas More School to maintain the support of our diverse parish community? The answer lies in the greatest gift that Catholic education offers to all of us. That is the gift of hope. The mission of Catholic education is based in the Incarnation and the Resurrection. Christ’s sacred flesh is the instrument of our salvation, and we look forward to the resurrection of the body and a new heaven and a new earth.  It is this kind of hope played out through the work and existence of our parish school that defines it as integral; as well as establishing STM School as a foremost medium for evangelization through its gift of hope.

 Ask yourself this question. If St. Thomas More School didn’t exist, would there be reason to create it?  The answer is resoundingly, yes. STM School equals formative and academic leadership.

Very truly yours,

Mrs. Sheila Riley, M.Ed.
Principal