Education Features

Celebrating Catholic Schools Week at Notre Dame Academy

wnycatholic February 16, 2021

Notre Dame Academy just finished observing National Catholic Schools Week, an annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States.

Father Bill Quinlivan, pastor of St. Martin Of Tours Parish in South Buffalo, shows his approval of the thank you cards he received after celebrating Mass for the students of Notre Dame Academy. Photos courtesy of Notre Dame Academy.

This fun-filled week is designed to help schools connect with prospective families, educators and community members. The South Buffalo elementary school used this week to showcase what makes this Catholic school the best choice for children or grandchildren.

One young Notre Dame Academy student shows off his canned good collection. Students of the South Buffalo school held a food drive during Catholic Schools Week.

The theme for Catholic Schools Week this year was “Faith. Excellence. Service.” And at NDA, all three were practiced in fun ways by our students. Father Bill Quinlivan, pastor of nearby St. Martin of Tours, celebrated a virtual school Mass in which students participated via Facebook Live. He even sang the school song, “Notre Dame Our Mother,” to conclude the Mass and our students were happy to hear it and sing along.

Notre Dame Academy students also participated in socially distant and safe Olympic Games and a trivia contest to compete for a “Campus Cup.” The winners of which will be rewarded with a pizza party. But the highlight and most impactful events during this week were those which concentrated on service to others.

Students were delighted to create thank you cards for essential workers and local businesses in the community. Cards were delivered to Mercy Hospital, Meals on Wheels, the police station and firehouse, even to clergy and delivery people. Cared went out to Tops Market, Wegmans, Rite Aid, Imperial Pizza and Mineo’s South Pizzeria. But the service aspect of Catholic Schools Week did not end with the cards. Students were asked to bring in canned goods to benefit the Response to Love Center, and three car loads of canned goods now fill their shelves and are ready to be used to feed those in need.

Catholic Schools Week is a time to commemorate faith in education. At Notre Dame Academy, the Catholic faith is celebrated daily. If you, or anyone you know is looking for a great Catholic school check out Notre Dame Academy at www.notredamebuffalo.org. There you will find short videos tours of each of our two campuses, our PreK 3 and PreK 4 programs and our Kindergarten program. Registration is now open, and we are looking forward to having you as part of our NDA family. Call 716-824-0726 for more information.