St. Mark School Celebrates Faith, Excellence, and Service

Stratford, CT

Students and staff at St. Mark School will take a break from their normal routines during the week of January 30 in order to celebrate National Catholic Schools Week.

The annual week-long celebration focuses on the value Catholic education provides to young people and its contributions to our church, communities, and nation. This year’s theme is “Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.”

Students do not have to be Catholic to attend St. Mark School. "There are a number of students who are not Catholic,” shares Principal Melissa Warner. “However, many do practice their faith inside and outside of the school day. In fact, 34 students participate as altar servers at weekend Masses, weddings, and funerals.”

The week kicks off on Sunday January 30th with the school’s annual PreK - Grade 8 Open House. Student ambassadors will showcase the school to prospective families by providing them with tours and their personal experiences and testimonials. Students also read essays at Mass on what their Catholic education means to them.

Some of the highlights of the school week include dress-down days, community service projects, making valentines for seniors, no-homework days, and fun-filled surprise activities aimed at celebrating students, parents, faculty and staff.

“Our students look forward to Catholic Schools Week,” states Janet Rodriguez, Grade 4 teacher and coordinator of the Catholic Schools Week activities. “The whole school gets involved with the planning. It’s a really fun week which encourages students to reflect on the benefits of their Catholic education and how the grounding in faith, excellence and service will help them throughout their lives.”

Despite declining Catholic elementary school enrollment, Diocese of Bridgeport schools have experienced a growth of 10% over the last year. At St. Mark School alone, it increased by 18% this year with many classes at wait-list status. The current enrollment of 234 is an all-time high for St. Mark School!

“We are proud of the work we do educating the whole person,” comments Warner. “We have wonderful students and so much to celebrate!”

St. Mark School will host a Open House on Sunday, January 30, 2022, from 10 am - 12 pm. Private school tours for prospective families are available by reservation only. Meet the faculty, school community and hear about how St. Mark School safely welcomed students to school, in-person and 5 days a week since September 2020. Click here to reserve your Open House tour!