St. John Regional Catholic School students to make valentines for residents of Maine State Veterans’ Home, Mount St. Joseph’s Home
As part of Maine Catholic Schools Week, Jan. 25-31, students at St. John Regional Catholic School in Winslow will recognize citizens with a display of gratitude and respect.
All kindergarten through sixth-grade students at the school on 15 South Garand St., will gather at 1:30 p.m. today with local home-school students to create Valentine’s cards for the residents at the Maine State Veterans’ Home in Augusta, according to a news release from the Diocese of Portland.
The students will make cards for the elderly residing at Mount St. Joseph’s Home in Waterville. In total, more than 300 handmade cards are expected to be completed for distribution in early February.
“The children of St. John Regional Catholic School wished to make the cards for those who may be forgotten and to show their love for the elderly,” said Bonnie McGann, principal of St. John, in the release. “The students’ patriotism and gratitude for veterans is demonstrated by our school’s continuing relationship with veterans, starting with the ‘handprint’ flag which went to Afghanistan last year, carrying that flag in the American Legion’s Veterans Day Parade once it was returned, and now making the cards so that the veterans and elderly are always remembered.”
The service project is part of the annual Maine Catholic Schools Week which celebrates the mission of Catholic Schools: to evangelize students by nourishing faith and encouraging academic excellence while accentuating the importance of community and service in a nurturing environment.
As part of the celebration, St. John Regional Catholic School will host a variety of events, which included a visit from Bishop Robert P. Deeley on Monday.
For a complete schedule of Maine Catholic Schools Week activities at St. John, visit www.portlanddiocese.org/catholic-schools-week-saint-john-regional.
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