SALISBURY — Sacred Heart School and teacher Erin Brinkley were recently awarded a $1,200 Bright Eyes Education Grant to develop an aeroponics program at the school.
Aeroponics is cutting-edge technology in which plants are grown and nourished as their root structures are suspended in air.
Through this grant, students will be able to study the environmental benefits, engineering logistics and the complexity of feeding communities where rich soil and water are limited resources.
The school hopes to develop a sustaining program that will provide fresh produce in its food pantry every week, helping to supplement the canned goods that are already available.
Sacred Heart School leaders hope this grant will help students better understand the complexity of feeding the world, especially in countries where optimal soil and water are not available.
— Robin Fisher
‘I am very proud of your school’
CHARLOTTE — Holy Trinity Middle School welcomed Bishop Peter Jugis Jan. 28 during National Catholic Schools Week, which runs from Jan. 27 to Feb. 2.
Bishop Jugis celebrated an all-school Mass in the school gymnasium. Father Joseph Matlak, school chaplain, served as master of ceremonies, and a student choir accompanied by Dr. Gianfranco DeLuca of St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte provided the music.
During his homily, Bishop Jugis noted that National Catholic Schools Week is a special time to thank God for the gift of our Catholic schools and to ask God’s blessing upon teachers, staffs and all of the students and their families.
“I hope that you will take the opportunity through all of the events that are scheduled this week, to realize how fortunate you are to have such a great school community where our faith in Jesus is lived and celebrated,” Bishop Jugis told students.
“I am very proud of your school,” he emphasized. “By living your faith may it be evident to everyone that indeed Christ is alive here in this school. My wish for all of you is that you will always stay close to Jesus and you will always be strong witnesses to the love of Christ and the presence of Christ here in this school and in your lives.”
Bishop Jugis will celebrate a similar Mass Jan. 30 at Charlotte Catholic High School.
The theme for National Catholic Schools Week is “Catholic Schools: Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed.”
Each day of National Catholic Schools Week focuses on a specific theme for students, teachers and families: Celebrating Your Parish; Celebrating Your Community; Celebrating Your Students; Celebrating the Nation; Celebrating Vocations; Celebrating Your Faculty, Staff and Volunteers; and Celebrating Families.
Nearly 1.8 million students are currently educated in 6,352 Catholic schools in the U.S. There are currently 5,817 students in 19 Catholic schools across the Diocese of Charlotte.
Since 1974, National Catholic Schools Week has been the annual celebration of Catholic education in the U.S., sponsored by the National Catholic Educational Association and the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat of Catholic Education. Schools typically observe the annual week-long celebration with Masses, open houses and other activities for students, families, parishioners and community members.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter. National Catholic Education Association contributed. Photos by SueAnn Howell.
See more photos from Catholic Schools Week around the diocese.
