Jacksonville's Carla Harris - St. Augustine Catholic

Palmer Catholic Academy wins blue ribbon award
the Ponte Vedra school ranks in top 10 percentile nationally
They are feeling blue these days
at Palmer Catholic Academy in
Ponte Vedra Beach – but blue in
a good way.
The Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish
School received the “2005 No Child
Left Behind Blue Ribbon School award”
– the first school in the Diocese of Saint
Augustine ever to be honored and one of
only five Catholic primary schools in the
state to receive the award last year.
“It’s like the Academy Awards,” said
Linda Earp, principal of Palmer Catholic
Academy. “It’s very much an honor to be
nominated, because there are so many
schools competing for it.”
“The No Child Left Behind-Blue
Ribbon School” award honors public and
private schools that either show dramatic
improvement in student classroom
performance and test scores, or are high
academic achievers in their states. The
award reflects the national goal of high
standards and accountability in primary
and secondary education.
Schools that meet eligibility requirements
submit a detailed application,
including several years of test scores;
reading and math test scores must show
incremental progress. The curriculum is
inspected to see if it academically encourages
success for the students; teachers and
school administrators are factored into the
evaluation as well.
The school was selected for the award
based on their consistently scoring in the
top 10 percentile of schools nationwide
in standardized tests of reading and math.
The curriculum includes six specialty enrichment
classes and a number of exploratory
classes where students can discover
other areas of interest, including Web
Design, Sign Language, TV production
and Yoga. Another measure of the school’s
academic success: all of the students from
Palmer’s first graduating class (2002) will
attend college this fall.
“They are bragging about their school, and
that’s something every principal would
like, for the kids to actually love where
they go everyday to learn.”
“This is one of those milestone moments
for our schools in the Diocese of Saint Augustine,”
says Patricia Tierney, superintendent
of Catholic Schools. “We are so proud
of the Palmer community for the time that
went into the whole process.”
c e l e b r a t e e d u c a t i o n
Catholic Schools Week 2006
Catholic Schools: Character,
Compassion, Values, is the theme of
Catholic Schools Week, celebrated
nationwide Jan. 29 through Feb. 4.
The Quick and the Pretty
This year’s theme for the
Great City Rescue Mission Bed
Race was “movies,” and while no
one took home an Oscar, two area
parish youth groups won individual
awards for their efforts.
The annual event was held
Saturday, Nov. 19 at San
Marco Historical Chapel Park
in Jacksonville with 25 teams in
competition, including Most Holy
Redeemer (Jungle Book), Sacred
Heart (Bed knobs & Broomsticks )
and St. Patrick (The Lion King ).
Sacred Heart swept the
competition in the youth division
and won a trophy for “Fastest Bed.”
Judges awarded St. Patrick youth
group with “Best Decorated Bed.” The three parishes raised a total of $1,020.45
for Jacksonville’s City Rescue Mission, a nonprofit, faith-based organization providing
help to the homeless in northeast Florida.
around
around the diocese
not just a job
are you called to the
priesthood?
Mark Udry
About 35 men gathered at the
Catholic Center in Jacksonville
on Oct. 25 for Vocation Night,
an evening where men can learn
more about a life in the priesthood.
The men were invited to the meeting
by their parish priests after expressing an
interest to in the priesthood.
Our Lady Star of the Sea Pastor, Msgr. Daniel Logan and Principal Linda Earp,
proudly show off their award as of one of the nation’s best schools.
Linda Earp and media specialist Gail
Kindle, who assisted Earp in the application
and review process, traveled to
Washington D.C. in November to receive
the award.
Upon their return, the student body
held a weeklong celebration. Classes made
chalk drawings in the parking lot expressing
their pride in receiving the award and
everyone dressed out, head-to-toe, in
blue. Blue Bell ice cream was served one
afternoon, and the week concluded with a
huge pep rally.
“The children are extremely proud and
they take accountability for it,” said Earp.
special
Catholic Schools Week is a joint
partnership of the National Catholic
Educational Association (NCEA)
and the United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). It
emphasizes the important role Catholic
schools have in shaping the intellectual,
spiritual, moral, physical and social
values of its students as well as the high
standards set by these schools.
“Catholic Schools Week celebrates
education that goes beyond
preparation for a secular life – it is
an education that prepares students
for a Christian life,” said Pat Tierney,
superintendent of Catholic Schools
for the Diocese of Saint Augustine.
The diocese boasts a total enrollment
of 10,919 students in 29
schools. That includes elementary
and pre-K schools as well as secondary
and a special education school.
Most recently the diocese dedicated
St. Francis High School in
Gainesville – its fourth high school.
For more information on local
activities for Catholic Schools Week,
go to www.dosaedu.org.
couples celebrate 7,189 years of marriage
Theirs was a whirlwind
romance. William and
Evelyn Kuhn met during
the Christmas holidays at
the Columbian Club in downtown
Jacksonville. Six months later, on July 7,
1939 they were married in Immaculate
Conception Church – across the street
from where they met.
On Nov. 19 the Kuhns joined 179
other couples in the Diocese of Saint
Augustine who have been married 25
years or more. They renewed their vows
in a ceremony at Blessed Trinity Parish
in Jacksonville – celebrated by Bishop
Victor Galeone. The Kuhns were one of
75 couples present that were married
for 50 or more years; 13 of those couple
have been married for 60 or more years.
The total number of years
of matrimony celebrated at
the service was 7,189.
The Kuhns, parishioners
of Prince of Peace in
Jacksonville, say the secret
to a long marriage isn’t
really a secret, but just
simple common sense.
Choose the right mate,
have a strong Catholic faith,
placing trust in God and the
Father Remigiusz Blaszkowski, ordained
last year, shares his story of why he
became a priest with participants.
The evening, hosted by Bishop Victor
Galeone and Father Alan Bower, director of
Vocations included a light meal and several
priests of the Diocese of Saint Augustine
shared with those gathered why they chose
the priesthood and how they continue to
love their call to service.
Father Bower said the key to attracting
men interested in the priesthood is an
invitation from priests who act as a mentor
and spiritual guide.
Surveys of seminarians taken through
2003 show that 78 percent attributed their
interest in the priesthood as a result of
encouragement from a priest, said Father
Bower. He said Vocation Night will become
an annual event, and will be hosted at three
locations in the Jacksonville, St. Augustine
and Gainesville areas due to the positive
response from participants.
24 St. Augustine Catholic February 2006 St. Augustine Catholic February 2006 25