Wyckoff Students Collect Canned Soup In 'Soup'er Bowl Challenge

WYCKOFF, NJ — In advance of the Super Bowl on Feb. 12, St. Elizabeth School students in Wyckoff are competing in a 'Soup'er Bowl to see which class is able to bring in the most soup cans to be donated to a local nonprofit.

Still with four days left in the competition, the school has collected more than 500 soup cans, as of Friday.

The winning class, which will be announced on Feb. 10, gets the prize of a Sports Dress Down Day to wear a jersey of their favorite sports team.

The 'Soup'er Bowl collection was one of two community service activities held at the private, Catholic school for National Catholic Schools Week (Jan. 29 through Feb. 4), an annual celebration of Catholic education in the U.S.

Both this and a Health Breakfast collection, for which each class was assigned a breakfast food to bring, will be donated to Oasis — A Haven for Women and Children, in Paterson. Breakfast foods range from applesauce (kindergarten) to Corn Flakes and Raisin Bran cereals (8th grade).

So far, the school has collected more than 100 breakfast food items, as of Friday.

St. Elizabeth School made community service a key part of the week's celebrations, which also included Open House events, academic presentations and Spirit Week festivities, school officials said.

"It was wonderful to see parents at our open houses Tuesday and Thursday," Principal Karen Lewis said in a Friday letter to St. Elizabeth families. "I hope you enjoyed seeing a glimpse of what your children are learning."

Catholic Schools Week is a yearly highlight, school officials said, for students, teachers, parents and the community, and this year was particularly exciting as the school saw the return of the pep rally, and 7th and 8th grade basketball game — absent since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It was great to bring back the tradition," Principal Lewis said. "I am sure the parents enjoyed the spirited game."

Eighth graders, this week, were also able to give families tours of the school, showcasing how students are "prepared for public speaking and leadership," officials said.

"Instilling leadership and service, especially within the community, are pillars of the school's teachings," officials added.