Last week, the St. Dominic community celebrated our lives as Crusaders during Catholic Schools Week. The week consisted of special events for students and faculty members to participate in recognizing the four pillars of SDHS: community, service, prayer, and study.

On Monday, the community pillar was celebrated. Students were surprised with a delicious cup of hot chocolate provided by the faculty and staff. This was a great way to kick off the morning and the beginning of Catholic Schools Week.  Tuesday, we practiced the pillar of service. Everyone was encouraged to bring in two cans of soup with the opportunity to dress down in our favorite sports team apparel. The St. Louis Review took pictures and wrote an article about our act of service. Our school also challenged other Archdiocesan high schools to participate in the “Souper Bowl” event to see who could bring in the most cans of soup. As a school, we brought in about 1,300 cans. All soup cans were donated to the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

The prayer pillar was recognized on Wednesday when the whole school participated in morning prayer in the hallways. This allowed us to share and practice our faith together. Freshmen, sophomores and juniors were also rewarded with a dress down if they completed their course registration forms for next year.

On Thursday, we celebrated the study pillar. Seniors and staff were given the opportunity to wear a college shirt to recognize their continuing studies. Staff members also displayed a picture of themselves in the hallways with a paper explaining their past journey.

Friday brought an end to Catholic Schools Week with a “Pillars for Life Mass Celebration.” Bishop Rice held mass, and we were joined by members of the ACA, who generously donated a check for $125,000 to our school. At the end of the day, students were given Bomb Pops to close out Catholic Schools Week.

Last week, students were reminded of the importance of Catholic education and what it means to attend a Catholic school. We are grateful for the sacrifices of others so that our education is possible and for the wonderful community we share with one another.