Immaculate Conception, Notre Dame to celebrate Catholic Schools Week

The next week will be a special one for students who attend Catholic private schools.

Catholic Schools Week started in 1974 and was organized by the National Catholic Educational Association to highlight benefits of Catholic education. Each year since 1974, on the last Sunday of January until the following Saturday, schools celebrate the occasion.

Two schools in the area have scheduled several events for the week.

Immaculate Conception School in Jackson will celebrate with dress-up days. To kick off the week Sunday, Jan. 28, it will celebrate the parish with a sausage and pancake breakfast in the parish center. Also on Sunday, there will be Pre-K and kindergarten registration from 8 to 11 a.m. in the center with an opportunity to tour the school during registration.

On Monday, Jan. 29, the theme will be to celebrate community. Students can dress up as soccer moms and barbecue dads. On Tuesday, Jan. 30, students will celebrate vocations by dressing up as someone or something from the Bible Adoration to pray for vocations. On Wednesday, Jan. 31, students will celebrate their faculty, staff and volunteers. The theme for the day will be "anything but a backpack day", and students will be able to dress in casual clothes. After Mass, there will be a Distinguished Graduate Award presented as well as a volunteer breakfast, which all parents and other school volunteers are welcome to join. Students will celebrate themselves Thursday, Feb. 1. They will be able to wear pajamas to school. There will be movies played in classrooms with a snack cart for students. Ending the school week, the theme will be to celebrate families. Each class will have a specific color to wear for color war day. At 2 p.m. there will be the Immaculate Conception variety show in the gym; families are welcome to attend.

Notre Dame Regional High School will celebrate Catholic Schools Week starting Monday with a staff and faculty breakfast, and students will work on their service projects. Tuesday will be pajama day for students, as well as games in class. On Wednesday, the dress code will be red, white and blue to celebrate the nation. There will also be a Marian Charities assembly with patriotic prayer, and at 6 p.m. there will be an adoration with praise and worship. On Thursday, students will celebrate vocations by holding an assembly to honor religious vocations. Ending the week Friday, Notre Dame will celebrate faculty and staff with a lunch for them as well as a Mass with the diocese bishop.