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Celebrating Catholic Schools
January 27, 2012
Posted in Local News
BRIDGEPORT-- “Catholic schools are beacons of faith, of learning, and of formation,” Bishop Lori said at the Breakfast of Champions to honor Catholic school students and their parents. “Our schools work for the good of the Church and of the larger society.”
More than 200 students and parents representing 38 schools throughout the Diocese turned out for the yearly awards breakfast at the Catholic Center.
Thirty-six students were presented the St. Thomas Aquinas Medal for academic excellence and three students received the St. Sebastian Medal for their achievement as scholar athletes.
The medals were blessed by Bishop Lori during the gathering. He and Dr. Margaret Dames, Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Bridgeport, then presented them as the students processed forward with their parents and pastors.
Recognizing the parents, donors, volunteers and students, Dr. Dames said that the many people in attendance “formed a partnership that has helped our schools to besuccessful.”
“Test scores are high and our students achieve great things,” said Dr. Dames, noting that the students “have made their parents proud, served their country, and most importantly, honored God by growing in their faith.”
Bishop Lori led the gathering in singing “Happy Birthday” to Dr. Dames, who he named Superintendent in 2004. The Bishop praised her leadership in the development of federally recognized “Blue Ribbon” Schools and other innovations in science, technology and reading.
Bishop Lori said that enrollment in Catholic schools jumped 5% last year, even in the face of a difficult economy and thanked parents for making the sacrifices necessary to send their children and to support the schools in many ways.
Bishop Lori also made visits to several Catholic schools as part of the celebration of National Catholic Schools Week.
According to the National Catholic Education Association, there are 2.1 million students in 6,980 Catholic elementary and high schools across the U.S. A Catholic-school education is available in all regions of the nation. About 43 % of the schools are located in the inner city and 14.9 % of the students are non-Catholics.
The Diocese of Bridgeport sponsors 38 schools with over 11,000 students in grades Pre-K through 12 in Fairfield County. Twelve of the schools have been designed “Blue Ribbon Schools” by the U.S. Department of Education. The designation places the schools in the top 10 percent of schools academically in the United States.
To learn more about Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Bridgeport, visit http://www.catholicschoolsfairfieldcounty.com