St. Edith students collect and organize school supplies, sweets for teachers at Corktown's Most Holy Trinity Academy
LIVONIA — St. Edith School in Livonia celebrated Catholic Schools Week with a special gift from their friends across town at Most Holy Trinity Academy in Detroit.
Students and parents at St. Edith have been collecting school supplies, new and gently used uniform shirts and pants, and even some sweet treats for teachers for a week and a half to be organized and given to Most Holy Trinity as a way to celebrate Catholic school camaraderie.
St. Edith principal Ruth Scaramucci said the supply drive adds a service component to Catholic Schools Week and fosters a relationship between Catholic school students in Livonia and Detroit.
She reached out to Most Holy Trinity principal Karina Lepkowski, asking whether there were any particulars the staff and students could need nearing the midpoint of the academic year.
“I wanted to do something that involved another Catholic school in the area to help them with a mid-year restock,” Scaramucci told Detroit Catholic. “Supplies are getting low, and we wanted to add this aspect of Catholic Schools Week by having our kids helping other kids going to a Catholic school that could use the extra help.”
The offer was appreciated by Lepkowski, who said students often cannot readily replace school supplies they go through during the year.
"I thought it was really nice a school out in the suburbs was looking out for us in the city," Lepkowski said. "We have students who are always in need of basic supplies. It’s nice when a school reaches out and asks if there are supplies we need because we go through them quite often, and families sometimes aren’t readily able to replenish their children’s pens, pencils, writing utensils, and writing paper on hand for them."
Scaramucci got a positive response from St. Edith parents when she broached the idea of doing a supply drive for another Catholic school.
“I think it was a lot easier for parents who are willing to donate knowing it's going to another Catholic school,” Scaramucci said. “It’s in the spirit of Catholic Schools Week, saying, ‘Let’s help another Catholic school that’s in need.’ When I put this idea in the newsletter, parents thought it was a great idea.”
St. Edith School does various service projects throughout the year, including sixth- to eighth-graders visiting the Villa Marie retirement community on St. Edith’s campus and a Thanksgiving collection for St. Christine’s Soup Kitchen in Detroit.
However, doing a school item drive during Catholic Schools Week takes on a special meaning.
“What sets us apart from public schools or charter schools is that part of our identity of being Catholics is living for others, thinking of others, and how we can serve and help others, and that’s something that I’ve always wanted to help put into practice,” Scaramucci said.
This year’s supply drive also builds a sense of community and camaraderie between students at St. Edith and Most Holy Trinity, which Scaramucci hopes will continue.
“Anytime kids do service projects, the kids will make cards saying, ‘God bless you,’ but this project, they wrote ‘Catholic Schools Week is awesome;’ they ask about school and want to learn about (Most Holy Trinity students') experiences,” Scaramucci said. “Maybe they’ll send cards back.”
The school supply exchange allowed for students both at St. Edith and Most Holy Trinity to grasp the universal nature of the Catholic Church, with both schools sharing a common identity in Christ.
"I think it’s nice for our students to see there are other kids their age in Catholic schools," Lepkowski said. "It may not be the same as it is here, but there are similarities, we have our faith component. ... Most of our students don't have much experience outside the city limits, so it's nice to build a relationship with students from the suburbs to broaden the horizons for both sets of students."
Other aspects of St. Edith’s Catholic Schools Week celebration include events like Academic Olympics, “Dress Like a Teacher” Day, an ice cream social, and all-school adoration — incorporating faith, service and academics, the three pillar of Catholic schools.
“The Catholic faith is integrated into everything we do," Scaramucci said. "And this week — being also near the halfway point of the year — is a chance to celebrate that we made it through half the year and emphasize why we’re here and what makes our school special.”
Share Your Connection to Catholic Schools
During Catholic Schools Week, the Archdiocese of Detroit's Department of Catholic Schools invites parents, alumni, teachers, faculty and others to share their connection to Catholic education by taking a few moments to complete this brief survey and help us shape a bright future.
