In celebration of Catholic Schools week

Hi, my name is Rebecca LeFils, and I am in the eighth grade at Blessed Trinity. I have been here at Blessed Trinity since I was in kindergarten. That means I’ve been a part of the BT community for nine years, which is crazy for me to think about because that is more than half of my life. I remember in elementary school thinking that the 8th graders were so big and old. Now I am an 8th grader that is being looked up to. I was voted as Blessed Trinity’s 2021-2022 Student Lighthouse Council President. As stated above, our school’s mission statement is “to inspire a lifelong pursuit of learning and living the Catholic faith.” At Blessed Trinity, we aren’t only a community and a parish, we are a family. To show our gratitude for our Catholic education, we celebrate Catholic Schools Week.

Catholic Schools Week is a national celebration of Catholic education, recognizing the importance of the values and the contributions a Catholic education has on the world. During this week, we honor the core values of a Catholic education through gratitude, prayer, and fun activities. Blessed Trinity has had a huge impact on my life by molding me into the person I am today. It’s because of how much we focus on our faith life as stewards for Christ that my view of the world and other people have developed and changed. We all are so privileged to learn at a Catholic School.

At Blessed Trinity we have so many gifts and opportunities. We get to use iPads, we have a Student Lighthouse Council, several clubs, sports teams, and advanced classes. Our sports teams include basketball, flag football, volleyball, cheer, track, and lacrosse. Some examples of our clubs are 4H, F.A.N.S Club, NJHS, band, and Math Counts. If you were to ask most kids “What is your favorite thing about your school?” the common answers would probably be recess, P.E., lunch, or reading. But of you were to ask me, I’d say my favorite thing is how we are a school family that lives and loves our faith.

A family is a group of people united by a love or common knowledge, and BT is just that. Everyone here is accepting, kind, and always willing to help. The Blessed Trinity family includes everyone- staff, administration, teachers, students, and even the maintenance crew. There is a popular saying, you’ve probably heard it, “It takes a village to raise children.” Blessed Trinity is my second home, my second family. The people here have definitely impacted my life and raised me. These people: the administration, teachers, and my peers have all made me into the person I am today. My values, beliefs, and character have all been influenced by the Blessed Trinity Family. Many of the teachers have been at BT since I was in kindergarten and have watched me grow over the years. One of my 7th and 8th grade teachers, Mrs. Ashley Long, says “Here we have a family atmosphere with a faith center while having a well-rounded education.” I am very grateful for these nine years of patience, acceptance, teaching, and overall love.

Having a Catholic education is a one-of-a-kind learning experience. This is because it focuses on more than just academics. Catholic schools provide a place for us to expand our knowledge, explore our passions, and come to know God all in one place. We are given the opportunity to build a relationship with Jesus Christ, and identify each of our own unique gifts, while going to school. The students of Blessed Trinity, including me, are given many opportunities to strengthen our faith. We go to Mass every week, we pray at the beginning of the day during morning announcements, the start of every class, before lunch, and at the end of the day in afternoon announcements. We participate in many activities that revolve around our faith, such as Day of a Steward and being a member of EDGE (a middle school youth group). Another special opportunity we are given is the opportunity in 2nd grade we can receive two sacraments, Reconciliation and First Holy Communion, and in 8th grade we can receive Confirmation. My classmates and I will be confirmed in February. We have been preparing for this sacrament all year. Catholic Schools think highly of their students, understanding that we are the future of our Church. The children here at BT benefit from a Catholic education because through these learning experiences that develop physical, emotional, social, and spiritual qualities that will help us succeed in the future. Here at BT, we are not only called to be high academic achievers, but to be loving disciples of Christ.

I am thankful for my Catholic education because it has transformed my life by offering me the opportunity to consider and fully choose the beliefs of the Catholic faith, which has equipped me with a keen sense of my identity as a Catholic Christian. Without a doubt I am thankful for BT because of everything I have learned and been given during my time here. In the future when I look back, I will be able to say that I went to Blessed Trinity Catholic School with pride.