St. Louis Catholic School Alumni Newsletter |
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Greetings from Your Elementary School Alma Mater! |
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Dear St. Louis Alumni,
What a unique and special year this one has become! We are two-thirds through the year, and I am amazed by the resiliency, strength, and enthusiasm generated by the St. Louis community. I am grateful for the support of our current and alumni families who help make so much possible in our school. The PTO has pivoted a few times due to the pandemic to provide engaging fun and even have a first ever Boosterthon planned for late Spring to raise needed funds for enriching our academic program. I am so very grateful for the thousands of dollars raised for the school through the Annual Fund under the direction of Mrs. Matheis which will enable us to begin some improvements to the physical plant in the coming months. Whether you made a donation or bought a raffle ticket, I thank you, the alumni, for being an important part of our school community.
We have good things happening daily here at St. Louis and much still to accomplish in the weeks ahead in the work we are doing with our students. Despite the pandemic, teachers are incorporating innovative, creative ways for all God’s children to explore and learn inside the classrooms and outside—we are blessed to have ample green space that teachers have utilized as outdoor classrooms. Your continued support and generosity enable us to stay the course despite the challenges and hardship of this pandemic.
St. Louis School is thriving with full classes, and a growing number of alumni who are enrolling their children here as well as others who wish a Catholic education for their children. I know firsthand what a joy it is to be able to have your own child attend the same school you did, and even better is the opportunity to have taught at the same Catholic school while your own children attend! Many blessings to each one of you and your families this Lent. If you are in the area, stop by and take a tour - we are always happy to see you!
God Bless,
Anne M. Dyke
Principal
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Melissa (Jones) Wallace (STL '93) with her son Reid (STL '23)
Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) Detective Melissa (Jones) Wallace, a St. Louis School alumna and a current St. Louis School parent, recently spoke with student council members Sophie Arib, Addie Buffaloe, Julie Dunn, Frannie Miller and Serena Moss about her time as a St. Louis student and her road to success in the FCPD.
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Detective Melissa (Jones) Wallace (STL '93) was honored with the Detective of the Month Award by the Major Crimes Bureau (MCB) in January 2021. She has been part of the Homicide Squad with the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) since 2001 and has also served on the Robbery Squad since joining the MCB in 2018. Before joining the MCB, she served as a domestic violence detective as well as a Criminal Investigations detective. In 2020 alone, Detective Wallace was called to 38 crime scenes and assigned 50 cases, ALL of which resulted in arrests and pending court cases.
St. Louis students had the opportunity to virtually meet Detective Wallace while she was on call at a recent incident. Read on to learn more about what she shared.
What would you say was your favorite thing at St. Louis?
My favorite thing about St. Louis is the fact that it led to life-long friends. The friends that I met in 1st grade are still my friends today all these years later, because the school was such a close-knit school that helped me maintian those friendships for a lifetime. That's my favorite thing about St. Louis.
How is St. Louis different today than when you were here in 1993?
You know what, it's actually not that much different aside from the obvious things like technological advances, we didn't have any of that when I was there, but it's amazing when I come back for my son's events now, how much the school reminds me of the way it was back then. Even the cafeteria, the gym, aside from the minor upgrades over the years, it's very much the same which I enjoy. I like that.
Did you have any siblings that attended St. Louis?
I did. My brother Kevin Jones also attended. He's 8 years younger than me, but he attended kindergarten through 8th grade.
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Teachers are busy with students in the classrooms! We are now in our 3rd trimester and students are actively engaged in learning daily. Students get to experience all the benefits of a traditional Catholic education with Art history and appreciation, music theory and instrument play, as well as hands-on exploration of a variety of topics. During the pandemic, we have taken great measures to increase the presence of digital tools to include new academic software to enhance learning on Chromebooks, iPads, and interactive whiteboards which extend learning beyond the textbook.
Annual Wax Museum
With great care and mindfulness of current health restrictions due to the pandemic, we were able to hold our annual Wax Museum during Catholic Schools Week, this loved event is a perfect example of application and synthesis that can happen when students delve deeper beyond the autobiography to do more research to become a famous historian, scientist, author, or musician. We had quite an eclectic group of celebrities, saints, and politicians at this year’s Wax Museum! The greatest part is that learning came alive literally for our younger students as they were still able to tour the exhibit.
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Our Catholic Identity
Beyond the classroom learning is an important part of how we attain our mission of rooting our students in their faith so that they may grow in Christ. From Advent to Lent we have been seeking to prepare our students' hearts and minds by encouraging kind acts and helping others. Students have been encouraged by Fr. O’Hare to spend 1% of their day, just 15 minutes, in prayer building a relationship with God.
And school-wide, the students have been seeking visible and tangible ways to spread love, bringing the compassion of Christ to others through their 40 acts of love. Students will be reflecting on the Passion and Death of Christ as a school community during Holy Week, while our 8th graders will re-enact the Stations of the Cross outside around the Bell Tower.
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Maintaining our school community has been an imporant part of our success during the pandemic. We have been challenged to think outside of the box when it comes to COVID-safe Hawk Family Fun! In February we hosted our first ever virtual Trivia Night for parents, and the PTO hosted a COVID-safe "Hawk's Hippity-Hop Egg Hunt" for more than 150 St. Louis students. A special thank you to St. Louis alum Anna Milewski (STL '20) for making sure the Easter Bunny paid a visit. |
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Virtual Career Day
St. Louis Catholic School is hosting a VIRTUAL Career Day on Monday, May 3rd for students in grades 4-8. Our goal is to encourage lifelong learning, spark curiosity, and highlight the importance of school. Students will listen to a panel discussion of several volunteers willing to share information about their chosen profession. We invite Alumni to join us. If you are interested in participating, please sign up HERE.
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In the home stretch of this year's campaign, we’re placing
all our eggs in one basket to reach our $125K goal!
The goal of our 2020-2021 Annual Fund Campaign is to raise funds to help cover the costs associated with our technology expansion and incurred while keeping our building safe and healthy due to the pandemic as well as growing our financial assistance to families in support of a Catholic education. As we prepare to welcome all of our students back for full-time in-person instruction for the 2021-22 school year, these needs have become especially critical.
We are appreciative of the many St. Louis School alumni and friends who donate to the campaign each year. Pledge cards may be downloaded HERE and submitted with your gift. Donations may also be made electronically through the PayPal Giving Fund.
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CLASS NOTES
Thank you to our alumni families who have shared family news with us. Do you have a life event or photos to share with the school and fellow alumni? We love to hear from our alumni - where you are now and your memories of your time at St. Louis. If you would like to be featured in our Alumni Spotlight, let us know!
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ALUMNI DIRECTORY
Currently our online Alumni Directory has listings for more than 1,000 Alumni from 1963-2019 for whom we have some contact information.
Don't see yourself? Please take a moment to register, and if you've moved, please be sure to update your contact information.
Looking for an old friend? Our Alumni Directory allows you to search for and be located by former classmates. If found, you may be able to connect through a web-based email form.
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ALUMNI SPIRITWEAR
Available through Lands' End, the St. Louis School Alumni embroidered logo is available on a variety of clothing and gear items. Order yours online today!
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