National Catholic Schools Week is an annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States in which schools focus on the value Catholic education provides to young people and its contributions to our church, communities, and nation.
This year’s celebration takes place beginning the week of January 31 – February 6, 2021.
The theme is “Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.”
Often times the decision to attend Catholic high school is made years before 8th grade, and it starts with families choosing Catholic education at the grade school level.
Mission College Prep is proud to partner with our local Catholic grade schools and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey, ensuring that we continue the tradition of producing leaders that follow the path of Christ.
In honor of National Catholic School’s week, we’d like to share with you the competitive advantage of attending Catholic schools. Our number one goal as a Catholic college preparatory high school is NOT for our students to get into college…it’s to get into heaven. This belief has permeated throughout the MCP community as we get ready to celebrate our 100 years of Catholic education in a couple of years, and it continues today. Christ, and our Catholic beliefs, are at the center of every daily activity at MCP, and that leads to the excellence in academics, service, and extra-curricular activities.
Daily themes for National Catholic Schools Week include:
Sunday – Celebrating Your Parish
Catholic schools benefit all year long from the religious guidance, prayers and support parishes provide. Many parishes join in the National Catholic Schools Week celebration by devoting a Mass to Catholic education.
Monday – Celebrating Your Community
A central aspect of Catholic education is learning the importance of service to others. When students take part in service activities—both local and beyond—they demonstrate the values and faith they gain through their Catholic education and learn how to make the world a better place. When they observe how others serve the community, they gain an appreciation for how they can continue to serve others their entire lives.
Tuesday: Celebrating Your Students
We are so blessed to have amazing students. We encourage students to reflect on the benefits of Catholic education and how the grounding in faith, knowledge and service provided will help them throughout their lives. We are proud of the of the work we do educating the whole person and are excited to see how our students continue to flourish in the areas of scholarship, inspiration and leadership.
Wednesday: Celebrating the Nation
On National Appreciation Day for Catholic Schools, students, families, educators and other Catholic school supporters communicate the value of Catholic education to government leaders. We focus on educating our students to be good stewards of this nation and ones that live lives of virtue and truth.
Thursday: Celebrating Vocations
By focusing on faith, knowledge and service, Catholic schools prepare children to use their God-given talents to the fullest later in life. National Catholic Schools Week offers an opportunity for students to explore the many life paths that enable them to use their talents well in the service of God and others — by answering the call to a religious vocation, by nurturing a family through sacramental marriage, by volunteering in church activities and charities, and/or by pursuing a career that makes the world a better place.
Friday: Celebrating Faculty, Staff and Volunteers
We honor teachers and principals as well as administrators and staff who support them in their important work and thank the parents, grandparents, alumni, parishioners and school board members who provide volunteer service.
Saturday: Celebrating Families
Parents, guardians and other family members play a vital role in Catholic education. Not only do they volunteer at the school, they instill values and expectations for academic excellence in their children at home. We acknowledge the role of families in Catholic education and celebrate their contributions to the success of our schools on the last day of National Catholic Schools Week and all year long.
For more information on National Catholic Schools Week visit the National Catholic Educational Association’s website at https://www.ncea.org/CSW