The classroom of service

“I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.” James 2.18

There was a lot of work to do on the St. Joseph Parish grounds before Superfest opened. Amid the thuds of hammers and the buzz of drills was the sound of laughter. Fresh from school Mass, St. Joseph eighth-graders went up and down the parish center stairs carrying oversize items for the silent auction.

They weren’t skipping class. They were practicing their faith.

Learning about the faith is important. But as St. James asks, “What good is it…if someone says he has faith but does not have works?”

Our BCACS believes following Christ means caring for our church and our neighbors. Students start as soon as pre-school, bringing cans of food for the needy at Mass and offering prayers for the sick in class. Just as students’ understanding of the Catholic faith deepens each year, so does their understanding of Christian service.

St. Joseph Middle School transitions students from simple acts of service to sustained community awareness. The school coordinates student projects with organizations like Haven of Rest, Hands-On Battle Creek, Operation Shoebox, Community Inclusive Recreation, the Charitable Union, the Salvation Army, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and our three Battle Creek Catholic parishes.

“We are trying to give them the idea that when they get out of school their community will be much greater,” Don Shafer, St. Joseph Middle School Theology teacher, said.

By eighth grade graduation, every student will have clocked a minimum of 45 service hours. Many students will exceed that number.

Service plays an important role in preparing our middle school students for Confirmation, which is why specific service hours are reserved for Corporal or Spiritual Acts of Mercy.

“We want them to understand what it means to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and tie [these Corporal Acts of Mercy] to some very basic beliefs we have in the Catholic faith,” Mr. Shafer said. “We’re trying to promote what that looks like and how we can help those people who are less fortunate.”

Although the school prays the rosary regularly together, each student must offer a minimum of four rosaries on their own. It is a great way to employ one of the Spiritual Acts of Mercy – to pray for the living and the dead.

Having students help with Mass and parish-based service projects, like Sunday Suppers or the Giving Tree, lays a pathway to adulthood in the church.

“[These projects] get our kids into the parish to see what it is like to support the church,” Mr. Shafer said.

This on-the-job training for life as a Christian is more than an education, it is following in the footsteps of Christ.

Need a Buddy? Take a seat.

There three benches on the St. Joseph playground, but the yellow one is special. If you need a friend, you take a seat.

St. Joseph Elementary Preschool and TK teacher Amiee Downey first saw a Buddy Bench during her family vacation in Holland. Children sat there if they needed a friend or stopped there to make a new friend.

It reminded Mrs. Downey of her older daughters, one of whom was more reserved and the other who was more outgoing.

“I thought, ‘Wow, that would be perfect for our girls’,” Mrs. Downey said. “Ellery could sit on it in hopes someone would come ask her to play and Leah could make some new friends and be the one asking everyone to play.”

It seemed natural to bring a Buddy Bench to St. Joe, especially for new students for whom recess can be stressful. Mrs. Downey pitched the idea to the staff and won swift approval.

Mrs. Downey and her husband chose the most centrally located playground bench and painted it bright yellow, lettering “Buddy Bench” in purple.

“We introduced it right at the start of the year to go along with all of our friendship units,” Mrs. Downey said. “The rules behind it are simple. If you want to play with someone and don't know whom to ask, you sit on the bench. If someone comes and asks you to play, you graciously accept and give it a try.”

The response has been wonderful, especially from the younger grades.

“I have seen children sit on the bench and I've also seen people come up and ask them to play,” Mrs. Downey said. “One child said they like it because they know someone will ask them to play.”

Kindergartener Emma Lumbard told her grandmother, BCACS Enrollment Director, Cathy Erskine, “Yeah, it works. I sat on it and a friend asked me to play."

And those invitations extend to teachers, too.

Enrichment teacher Caroline Greenman sat on the Buddy Bench during her class’ recess, only to have some of her students ask if she “needed a buddy”.

Following the Buddy Bench rules, Mrs. Greenman graciously accepted their offer and enjoyed sliding down the slide.

“Nobody ever sits on the Buddy Bench for very long,” Mrs. Downey said.

A family affair for over 100 years

St. Philip High School’s centennial has inspired alumni to celebrate their history. But what about St. Philip’s future alumni?

“As adults, we’re all talking about this and celebrating it, but the kids who are here need to appreciate it,” Kyra Rabbitt, St. Philip history teacher, said.

The school hosted a centennial party for students on September 8th, which included a walking history tour led by Ms. Rabbitt. She based it on the tour BCACS historians Matt Davis, Class of 1979, and Sheri (Cobb) Robotham, Class of 2003 gave staff this summer.

It started with a video created by St. Joseph assistant-principal, and St. Philip alumni, Katie Reed, Class of 2000.

The seven-minute tribute was laced with testimonials from alumni, all of whom, at some point, referred to St. Philip as “family”.

Ms. Rabbitt took students to the front of the church, explaining that the small Catholic community purchased it from the Quakers in 1867 for $1,200. An elementary school followed in 1911, as well as a high school in 1917 – the very building current students still enter every day.

The tour continued to the school’s original front entrance on Cherry Street, where Ms. Rabbitt talked about the students gathering before class all the way up to 2010. As the tour wove into the Alumni Room, Ms. Rabbitt called attention to historical points of interest before letting students independently explore.

Decades of young faces from black and white photos smiled down on the young faces milling about the room. Students pointed to old band instruments, old football uniforms, even an old photo of English teacher Laura Miller using the school’s first computer.

The air buzzed because teenagers are rarely quiet – not 100 years ago and not now. They asked Ms. Rabbitt if they could paint a bus like the students did in 1995 or make class patches again.

Ms. Rabbitt encouraged them to find out.

At the end, students recorded their reflections for students 100 years from now. Many used the word “family”.

“St. Phil may not be large in numbers, but we are big in heart,” senior Maddy Haywood wrote. “It’s a family connection.”

Senior Trevor Fuller remarked on the many teachers who are St. Philip alumni. “It just shows how much of a sense of family we have here.”

Exchange student Ziije Dong wrote, “People in this school smile a lot. It feels great to study in the school. The building is old, but it’s beautiful.”

“I came here in 9th grade and couldn’t be happier,” senior Morgan Bohannon wrote. “We are one big, happy family!”

At lunchtime, that big, happy family convened on Cherry Street to share cupcakes, hot dogs, games, and the promise of next 100 years.

We begin in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

The sign in front of St. Joseph Catholic School is a popular place for a "First Day" photo op

New Year’s Day has nothing on the first day of school, especially at our Battle Creek Area Catholic Schools.

In fact, we were so excited to get our school family together, we started a little early.

Before school began, our administrators and staff, in cooperation with Fun Services and the Kaufmann Family, hosted a picnic for students and their families on the St. Joseph School grounds. There was food, inflatables, prizes, and lots of smiles.

Before school began, our teachers attended professional development days, learning, among other things, the history of St. Philip High School from BCACS historians Matt Davis, Class of 1979, and Sheri (Cobb) Robotham, Class of 2003. St. Philip High School turns 100 this school year. It’s a big deal.

Before school began, students came to Meet the Teacher night, middle and high school orientations, band camp, and sports practices.

Finally, on August 28th, the new school year began.

For some, it was their first time away from home. For others, it was the first time managing a locker and changing classes. For freshmen, it was the first day away from the familiar hallways of St. Joe. For new students, it was the first day with their new school family. 

Some goodbyes included photos and tears, others a quick kiss blown from a car window. Either way, when the bell rang, the hellos began.

Our newly-minted eighth-graders throw Ms. Williamson a surprise birthday party the first week of school.

Some were traditional, like Ms. Hamel’s fifth-grade group photo or St. Philip High School’s hot dog picnic on Cherry Street. Some were unique, like the eighth graders throwing math teacher Ms. Williamson a birthday party or the high school students digging deeper into St. Philip’s history.

One hello, however, was universal – the first All-Schools Mass.

Every member of the BCACS family came to St. Joseph Church on Thursday to pray together, including Bishop Paul Bradley.

“For 100 years, our schools have shown that faith is the center of our lives,” Fr. John Fleckenstein said. “The opening school Mass certainly reminds us of that.”

Students from every grade level took a leadership role, whether reading Scripture, taking up the gifts, singing in the choir, or mentoring a younger student through the Mass.

Afterward, students and staff gathered with Bishop Bradley for a group photo – a moment captured in time that will set the stage for hundreds of special moments.

Come June, some of these souls will have received Confirmation, First Reconciliation, or First Communion. Come June, some of these souls will have graduated from high school. Come June, all of these souls will have grown in Christ.

But those are stories for another day. Right now, our backpacks are packed, our pencils are sharp, and our kids have been blessed.

It’s time to begin.