A fun-filled week at Valley Stream's parochial schools

Children at Valley Stream’s two Catholic schools were treated to a whole host of activities last week, but they also took some time to give back to their communities.

Catholic Schools Week, an annual celebration at parochial schools across the United States, was held this year from Jan. 30 through Feb. 4. Holy Name of Mary and Blessed Sacrament schools both took part in the event with a full week of events.

At Holy Name of Mary School, the celebration began with an open house after the Sunday morning mass. The school was open for prospective parents, who were led on tours by the school’s students. The annual trike-a-thon followed on Monday morning. Children in pre-K, kindergarten and first grade rode tricycles and bicycles around the gymnasium to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

There was a volleyball game which featured a match between eighth-grade students and the faculty, a round of bingo and a trip to Hot Skates. Principal Rick McMahon said that because of limited funds, the school wasn’t able to hold both the teacher appreciation lunch and the Hot Skates trip. The teachers sacrificed their lunch for the students. “They said, ‘We want to the kids to come first,’” McMahon stated.

In return, children in the student council and Honor Society raised money and bought silver key chains for all the teachers which read, “Together we make our school a success.”

The week was capped off with a production of “The Wizard of Oz.” Evening performances were held on Feb. 3 and 4. “It’s definitely one of the best ways to end it,” said Kaitlyn Todaro, who played the Wicked Witch of the West. “Everyone worked really hard.”

Eighth-grader Nora Kassebaum, who played Dorothy, said she was honored to be chosen for the lead role. “I was really happy,” she said, “and I was very lucky because there were a lot of other good people trying out.”