His Holiness, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI once said, “A good school provides a rounded education for the whole person. And a good Catholic school, over and above this, should help all its students to become saints.” This is the mission the students, families, and teachers at Our Lady of the Assumption have embraced. Parishioners and school families in Albuquerque refer to this great school as OLA, where the goal is to live the mission of the Catholic Church and lead others to holiness. The focus of OLA is to learn how to grow in our faith and model our lives after the saints every day of the year. For example, during the month of November, OLA staff and students delve deeper into what exactly it means to be a saint, and how we can strive to become saints today.
OLA students learn how to be saints and Christ-like through the use of an acronym of the school’s mascot: ANGELS. Students strive to be Active Catholics, Never Give Up, Global Citizens, Effective Communicators, Life-Long Learners and Service to Self and Others. It is OLA’s goal to use these characteristics to help students have a greater appreciation of what it means to be a saint, and to learn about those who came before us.
First students learn about amazing saints from all backgrounds from all over the world. This is then applied to guide these students to better appreciate and understand the importance of living their faith. The saints are “experts” in living like Christ. Saints help us grow in holiness. One of the best resources to learn about the saints is through All Saints Day and All Souls Day.
To celebrate All Saints Day, students were able to choose a saint to dress up as. Many classes also researched saints, wrote or typed up their reports, and presented them to their class as they shared which saint they admired and why. In art, the students recreated images of the saints and the second grade class made dolls of their favorite saints out of recycled materials. Not to miss out on the fun, the kindergarten class joined forces with their “fifth grade friends” to learn about saints and then proceeded to have a party to celebrate the feast day, including cupcakes with saint toppers and prayer cards attached and playing games like “Ring the Halo Around the Saint”, “St. Juan Diego Flower Tilma Toss” and “All Saints Bingo”. The kindergarten class has also been learning about the beauty and diversity of the Catholic Church, and have been reading the “Saints Like Me” series, which highlights great American, Black, Asian and Latino saints.
In Spanish class students made “ofrendas” and participated in a parade to celebrate Dia de los Muertos as a way to celebrate this great day. Kindergartners also learned about All Souls Day and the importance of praying for the dead, one of the spiritual works of mercy, by using St. Gertrude’s prayer for the souls in Purgatory.
And while learning about those who came before us is wonderful and greatly needed, OLA also wants to stress the importance that we are all called to become saints, most often, in little, simple ways. Throughout the year students participate in school Spirit Days wear they donate a dollar to dress up in a spirit wear shirt and jeans. The money raised from this fundraiser goes to support Locker 505, a non-profit clothing bank that allows disadvantaged children to try on and receive clothes for free. OLA also hosted its annual food drive to help the St. Vincent de Paul Society. St. Therese of Lisieux, a saint known for obtaining sanctity through doing small things with great love, once said, “Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing.” By collaborating with other grade levels at OLA, students are learning the importance of serving others who are less fortunate as well as developing greater empathy for those who are in need.
As a STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art and Math) school, differentiating instruction and blending the curriculum standards is very important to the staff at OLA. We want everyone to make the connection that our faith is not confined to going to Mass on weekends and as a school on Wednesdays, nor is it limited to our religious instruction. Our faith is a central part of our identity, and at OLA, students realize that it permeates every subject and every theme possible.
OLA has also been blessed to remain open to in-class learning throughout the pandemic. OLA’s staff recognizes the value and importance of being in a learning environment where students can interact directly with their peers and teachers, and where relationships can form in person rather than behind a computer screen.While some mandates are still in place, OLA offers a learning environment where students attend weekly mass. Younger students bond with their mass buddies (older students) who model proper church behavior and a love of Christ.