Saint Houses:
Inspiring Our Students through
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be assemble of Saint Maximilian Kol Members of the House who would s ilie fam nity mu com 5 food baskets for over 3 ner. din ing giv nks not otherwise have a Tha
Members of the House of Saint Maximilian Kol be gather and sort food from the Thanksgiving drive.
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hanks to the Saint Houses at Saint Michael Parish School, our eighth-grade graduation ceremony is an extraordinary experience where each student feels loved, accepted, and encouraged by God’s love. “At graduation, every single student gets a plaque highlighting why they are so special, and what makes them such a unique disciple of Christ,” says Kathi Rafferty, Eighth ELA/Religion Teacher. “I am so glad we did away with only giving awards to some of the children because all of our kids are so great and try so hard. I believe this is one of the very best things we do — it has been one of the most transformative aspects of our Saint Houses program.” Truly, the moving graduation ceremony is only one of the countless ways in which the Saint Houses enrich our parish school family and beyond. Saint Houses are multi-grade groupings of students who share certain values with certain saints. They allow for a consistent, cohesive program that puts all students on a “level playing field.” According to their official mission statement, “The over-arching goal of Saint Houses is a greater sense of belonging to the Catholic Church, Saint Michael Parish School, and a smaller community that shares trust and affirmation.” Each house has a teacher advisor, as well as a very active student house leader who assumes a great deal of responsibility. “We feel that the advisory period and the Saint Houses can make a huge difference in the success of our middle school students,” Mrs. Rafferty says. Some of the many goals of the innovative program include ensuring that each student in the school is well known by at least one adult who is that student’s advisor; guaranteeing that every student is part of a peer group; helping every student find ways of being successful academically and socially; and foster unity, communication, community, and pastoral relationships among students and faculty. There are currently seven Saint Houses with 10 to 12 students each, from various grades. The advisors and the houses they lead are as follows: Mrs. Bishop, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton; Mr. Boyd, St. Therese of Lisieux; Principal Geraghty, St. Teresa of Calcutta; Mr. Hart, St. Vincent de Paul; Mrs. Graver, St. Francis of Assisi; Mrs. Rafferty, St. Maximilian Kolbe; Mrs. Swenson, St. Faustina. The students stay in their Saint House all throughout middle school.
