top of page

Catholic Schools Week Essays

See our full list of St. Paul of the Cross School activities for Catholic Schools Week in SPC School’s January 23rd Thursday mailing: https://www.spc-school.net/thursday-mailing/january-23-2025/


In honor of Catholic Schools Week, some of our St. Paul of the Cross students have written personal accounts highlighting their learning experiences at our school. These accounts are listed below.


Sam T.


St. Paul of the Cross is an amazing school and community made up of wonderful teachers, staff, students, and families that believe in the value of a Catholic education. Being a member of the SPC community has played a role in shaping the person I am today. During my eight years at St. Paul, I have been fortunate to experience many benefits of going to a Catholic school. These benefits include an excellent education, a safe environment to be myself, and learning about God and developing my relationship with Him. For these reasons, I am very thankful for my Catholic education.

My Catholic education challenged me academically. I have great teachers that help me learn every day. They expose me to concepts that I have never heard about before, which help me grow in my knowledge. I have been able to take a range of classes like STEM, Strength and Conditioning, Spanish, Art, and Music. These classes made learning fun and gave me new experiences. While all my classes have been good, my favorite class has always been math where I have been lucky to have teachers who challenge me, make me think and work hard. St. Paul of the Cross teachers are also kind, patient and caring. One of my first memories was my first day of Kindergarten. I was scared to go to school and nervous to make new friends, but my kindergarten teachers, Mrs. Rinaldi and Mrs. Burke made me feel welcome and secure. They made sure that my first experience was positive, which is something that I appreciate and will never forget.

My Catholic education provided a safe space for me and my classmates to grow as individuals. SPC is a welcoming environment that is comfortable and available to everyone. It is a good community that is perfect for all types of kids. There is something for everyone at SPC. The school provides several clubs and activities after school and different sports for students of all abilities to join. For me, while I enjoy academics, it has been the extra-curricular experiences that have impacted me the most. I play basketball, soccer, baseball, volleyball and cross country and have had so much fun competing and making memories with my teammates. I also really enjoy our SPC Olympics, which takes place during the last week of school. On this day, teams made up of students from Kindergarten to 8th grade compete in various events. It is a full day of teamwork, communication and supporting one another. Even though my team never came close to first in all of my years at SPC, I still had fun playing the games with my team and getting to know other students at my school.

Last, and most important, my Catholic education has strengthened my faith and allowed me to become closer to God. SPC provides different ways to encounter God and explore my relationship with Him. Every day, I get to learn more about God through prayer and my Religion class. We attend Mass as a school weekly and have the opportunity to take part in the sacraments like the Eucharist and Reconciliation throughout the year. I also enjoy being an altar server, which allows me to participate in the Mass in a different way. The school has also taught me to see God in others through service. By serving others, I have found it makes me happy to help those in need and brings me closer to God.

Overall, my Catholic education was a blessing to me. St. Paul of the Cross is a great school and I have loved being part of this family since my first day in Kindergarten. My Catholic education provided a strong foundation academically that will help as I move into high school and beyond. It provided me with a safe environment to grow as an individual and use the gifts and talents God has given to me. It also helped me explore my relationship with God, for which I am very grateful.


Lucia P.


There are many benefits of my Catholic education at St. Paul of the Cross. One of the main benefits of my Catholic education would be that I get to grow closer to God and learn more about my faith. I also enjoy getting to go to church during school time. I feel that it helps me grow closer to God and also my classmates. Another benefit of a catholic education is getting to receive the sacraments with the school I go to. I get to receive first reconciliation, first communion, and confirmation with my classmates. Personally, my favorite benefit of my Catholic education is getting to have religion class at school. I get to learn about school and connect with God in my school life and my out of school life. Another benefit of getting a Catholic education is that I have smaller classes. I get to have most of my classes with the same people and since my class only has about twenty people in each class and I don’t feel overwhelmed by my classmates or the sizes of my classes. Smaller classes also give me more confidence to be myself.

Many of my favorite SPC memories revolve around my Catholic education. I think that one of my favorite SPC memories would have been the Springfield field trip in 7th grade. I feel like I learned a lot on that trip but also grew closer to some of my classmates. Not many of my close friends were on my bus or in my group but that gave me an opportunity to become better friends with some of my other classmates. Another one of my favorite SPC memories is roundball. Roundball is a fun way to learn how to work with others on a team from different grades. I also enjoy roundball because when your team isn’t playing there is always someone you will know playing and you can go watch the game no matter who’s playing. I also enjoy school sports. I like getting to work together as a team with my classmates. I also enjoy getting to spend more time between practice and games with my teammates. I also like how SPC offers many sports to its students. Some of the sports SPC offers are cheerleading, basketball, volleyball, football, soccer, baseball, and softball.

There are many things that St. Paul of the cross can provide for us students that other schools can’t. SPC provides many different service opportunities. There are always some sort of way to help the SPC community whether it’s donating something or helping at the food pantry. Some of my favorite SPC service opportunities are helping at the garden and doing many different service opportunities between Life Team and NJHS. Another thing that SPC provides that another school couldn’t is many elective options. SPC offers many different electives such as art and fashion, robotics, animation, sports management, and guitar. SPC also provides many teachers to give us a good education. All of the teachers at SPC are very nice and give me the education I need for high school. St. Paul of the Cross also provides many field trip options each year. Personally, my favorite field trip was the 8th grade Lake Geneva trip. We did many team building activities to grow as classmates and friends. The zip lining was also a lot of fun!


Ceci P.


My Catholic Education is very important to me and leads me to a prayer-filled, educated life.

My Catholic Education has many benefits, especially at St. Paul of the Cross. One of the benefits of a Catholic education is the Mass, which happens once a week. Another benefit is learning about religion, which helps me to become closer to God. Yet another benefit is understanding the Bible, which helps me learn more about my religion. I also learn about the history of Jesus, which helps me understand the pain and struggle he went through and how many people he selflessly helped. I am also grateful for my Catholic Education because of the community of faith I was brought into, which was very welcoming and special. The benefits of my Catholic education lead to some of my favorite memories at St. Paul of the Cross.

There are a lot of memories of SPC that are important to me, which added to my enjoyment of school at St. Paul of the Cross. One of my favorite memories is the Lake Geneva trip, because I liked the activities and the group work. A lot of my favorite memories are part of the field trips I took, because they helped me connect with my classmates and were a lot of fun. Another memory is all the sports I did at SPC, such as cross country, basketball, and track, which all were very fun and taught me how to be on a team. I also really enjoyed the classes at SPC, which all taught me a lot about a variety of subjects. An amazing memory from SPC is Roundball, because I got to play with my friends, against teams from my school, which was very special. The memories from SPC all were very unique to the school, and I truly enjoyed them.

All things that I have been given at SPC, that I would have not been given anywhere else, shaped me as a person. Something unique to SPC is all the life lessons I learn. SPC has taught me how to treat others and how to be a good person. I also received a community of classmates and teachers here at SPC, which helped me feel welcomed when I transferred here. In addition, I had a lot of amazing teachers here to help me grow as a person and in my work. Another thing that I got from SPC that I would have not gotten anywhere else is all of my friends, who have made me truly flourish as a person. Lastly, something unique I have been given from SPC is the class experience, which is truly unlike anything I had at my old school, due to how much more focused it is. SPC has given many unique things that are special to the school.

My Catholic education is truly a part of me and I am so grateful for everything St. Paul of the Cross has given me.


Lukasz S.


My catholic education is important to me because I am able to practice my faith and get a more individualized education that will help prepare me for high school, college, and for my adult life. Some of the benefits of a catholic education is being able to learn about my God. Learning about God and my faith is important to me because it helps me understand my relationship with God. Another reason that I am grateful for my catholic education is because it teaches you how to be a good person in the world. One example of this is whenever we do fundraisers for the less fortunate. Fundraisers are meaningful to me because it makes me feel good when I can help others that are less fortunate than me. When I do these fundraisers it also helps me remember that giving feels better than receiving. Being taught good manners and good discipline is also important to me because it strengthens my ability to be a better person in the world. Having a harder grading scale really helped me get ahead of other students outside of St. Paul of the Cross.

One of my favorite memories at St. Paul of the Cross is my first roundball. This is my favorite memory because when I was in the younger grades I used to always be waiting and anticipating my first roundball. Once I got on the court for the first time I was so scared because I was a sixth grader playing against seventh and eighth graders that were twice my size. Even though I am not the best basketball player it is still a fun time to share with my friends, and since this roundball will be my last one I am really looking forward to it. Another one of my favorite memories from my time at SPC is my first communion and reconciliation. This was an important moment to me in my life because it was one of the first and most important steps in my spiritual life with God. Another good memory from SPC is The SPC Olympics, this is an important memory to me because it taught me how to expect a loss in a contest from a young age.

I think that St. Paul of the Cross gave me many things that other schools couldn’t have given me. One example of this is, well the obvious one, a catholic education. I believe that a catholic education is one of the most important things you could receive at a young age. This is because a catholic education teaches you about your God and our religion. One other thing that SPC gave me is the staff. The teachers, and staff are so kind, helpful, and supportive of you. I also believe that the SPC. Staff is more individually involved with the students. This means that if you are stuck with a math problem the teachers will take the time to explain it to you step by step.



Lidia B.


My Catholic education has played a huge part in shaping me into who I am today. Starting in pre-school, I learned that Jesus was our Savior and He died on the cross for us. I didn’t really understand why, but I knew we said Our Father every morning and Grace before lunch. Learning about God and what He did for us starting at a young age was really beneficial to me. Throughout the 11 years I’ve been at St. Paul of the Cross, I’ve grown to understand more about Him, our religion, why it is important, and how we came to be. A Catholic education is beneficial because the values of the school are all based on Catholic beliefs. For example, we have all-school Masses weekly, providing a Mass for students that may not be able to attend church every Sunday. Daily prayer in classrooms has also been really beneficial to me throughout the years because it incorporates God into my life every day, reminding me who I have to thank for everything and to praise Him. Attending a Catholic school has also helped me grow a deeper understanding of God and be able to connect with Him. Reading Bible verses in class taught me what Jesus taught His people about our religion, and I was able to make personal connections and carry the knowledge I learn daily in religion out into the world, trying to portray Jesus’s love the best I can and living my life the way He would want me to.

I have so many amazing memories at SPC. Through the years, I’ve gone on plenty of amazing field trips, had fun moments with my friends, participated in so many school events, and all of these contributed to my love for SPC and my Catholic education. A memory that stood out to me was Roundball in 6th grade, when my team won. This was a memory full of joy, happiness, and hard work paid off, making it a memory that will stick with me forever. I also really enjoyed the 8th grade field trip to Lake Geneva, when we really got close with our groups and had a fun time doing team bonding, rock climbing, and zip-lining together. Another field trip that was a core memory was the Botanical Gardens field trip, because it was so pretty to see all the beautiful flowers and it reminded me of all the beauty God has created in this world. My favorite memories at SPC also have to include watching the 8th grade vs. Teachers volleyball matches every year, and pep rallies at SPC in general. It is always a great vibe when the whole school is showing their school spirit and laughing, cheering, and combining our joy and love for our school. I always love seeing how all the student’s school pride is joined together as a whole and showing our appreciation for SPC.

We also have a maintenance team that works hard to make sure our facilities are well maintained and clean at all times. Student’s care for our school also shows in the way we respect our materials and school facility. SPC also uses a lot of technology. Every student has an iPad, each classroom has a SmartBoard, and much of our schoolwork is online. We have a huge, spacious gym with big bleachers for a large audience, a modern and renewed stage, and a large concession stand area that has enough room for multiple people to be working and to store a lot of food. Something I appreciate about our school that other schools may not provide is an opportunity for redemption after a missing assignment. If someone doesn’t complete their work, we are given time to work on these assignments during lunch/recess period.

Overall, my Catholic education at St. Paul of the Cross has really been beneficial to my character and my life. I am so grateful I was able to attend a Catholic elementary-middle school, and I can’t wait to continue going to a Catholic school in the future.



Geralyn J.


Catholic education at St. Paul of the Cross is something nobody would expect to be any different from education at any other Catholic school. However, it’s so much more here at SPC. This school has shown me so many perspectives on how God will guide me even if I start to doubt Him.

I have noticed many benefits of a Catholic education throughout my journey of elementary school. If I wasn’t part of a Catholic community I believe that I may have never been able to find God. I would’ve grown up in a Catholic family either way, but I don’t think that I would have realized the importance of having God in my life. While surrounding myself with Catholic teachings, I also learned how to find friends who will truly help with my education and beliefs. Friends and a Catholic community that will help me grow in person and in faith. SPC has given me so much education on God and continues to expand my knowledge. Throughout the years, I have tried out many different sports both in and outside of school. While improving my skills in these sports, SPC has taught me how to play fair and use good sportsmanship even if it gets extremely hard. Most Catholic schools bring their students to Mass each week and this includes SPC. We go to Mass each Tuesday when the schedule allows. St. Paul of the Cross has also offered me the chance to be an altar server while in school and after. We can serve funerals and weddings as well, which is a good way to appreciate God’s different plans.

Throughout my time at SPC, I have made so many enjoyable memories. My absolute favorite memory is the roundball season. I did roundball in 6th grade, 7th grade, and I plan to play again this year. I enjoy the competitive nature of our gym and I enjoy playing with new and old friends. Another favorite memory of mine is the 8th grade field trip to Lake Geneva. Lake Geneva was an unforgettable experience. I enjoyed seeing my grade come together and work as a team through all the activities. This field trip is something that every graduate class experiences which is a great way to appreciate your classmates before you go your separate ways, a wonderful SPC tradition. Fun fair is another tradition that SPC holds and continues every Halloween season. It’s a time when all of SPCs students get to play different carnival games to earn candy. You dress up in your costume and there is even a best Halloween costume contest for you and your friends to participate in! Unfortunately, I have never won but I’m sure I will remember the excitement for years to come. If it weren’t for the SPC Catholic community, I may never have met these special people who have become good friends of mine. Old and new friends that I have met and been with every year since the 2nd grade when I transferred into SPC. Which by the way, was one of the best decisions my family and I have made along my Catholic journey. I had the warmest welcome from the whole community and I continue to be welcomed into new friendships that grow every day. I met friends who share my beliefs and love for God. There are also so many opportunities to grow your faith with God. One of my absolute favorite memories is serving weddings as an altar server. Getting to see the dress, the ring, and the crowd is an amazing experience. It lights up the whole church and forces a smile on your face. I have so many memories and I hope to create more for the rest of my time in this community.

SPC has given me so many blessings that in my opinion, cannot come close to what is provided at other schools. Something that I am almost positive that no other school has is the SPC Olympics. Before summer break, students compete in games as a team. These teams are made up of students and their prayer buddies, another special event done at SPC. Prayer buddies is a grouping of kids from different grades that teaches us to work together no matter our differences. This wouldn’t be possible without the outstanding teachers we have been given. My teachers have given me amazing support and they are always there to help with whatever we are struggling with. Our teachers care so much they even create their own elective. Electives are very rare within elementary schools. At the beginning of 7th and 8th grade, students are sent out an email to pick electives for all three trimesters. Some examples are, perilous math, drama, music, strength and conditioning, and much more. SPC teachers care about their students and it makes a difference. The athletic program at SPC is truly outstanding. We build our skills each year which leads to more competitiveness to keep us moving. The program has so many great opportunities to try out new sports and find what we are interested in to create a new passion. The SPC Catholic community has also provided us with an exceptional gym, which leads us to take pride in our home base.

As much as I look forward to the future, knowing what I’m leaving behind is a little painful. Realizing that I won’t wander the halls of St. Paul of the Cross after this year is something I didn’t realize I would need to prepare myself for . I’m not sure what the future holds, but taking what SPC has given me, I know I have a great foundation to build onto.

Comments


bottom of page