STUDENTS CELEBRATE DIVERSITY OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS DURING WEEK

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Catholic Schools Week 1991, "A Kaleidoscope of People," begins today and area Catholic schools are planning activities for the week as diverse as the varied, shifting patterns of a kaleidoscope.

Carl Rosenquist, principal at St. Vincent De Paul School in Cape Girardeau, said Catholic Schools Week is an excellent opportunity to "celebrate the diversity that helps to create the beautiful patterns within the special framework of today's Catholic schools."

St. Vincent's joins St. Mary's Grade School and Notre Dame High School in Cape Girardeau and Jackson's Immaculate Conception School in celebrating the week with various activities.

Activities at the four schools include:

St. Vincent's:

On Monday, students will become "human kaleidoscopes" by wearing clothes of different patterns and colors, and in some classrooms, will be making kaleidoscopes. "Community" is the theme Tuesday and students will be writing letters to U.S. troops here and overseas.

Wednesday's theme is "the World," and students will study different ethnic groups in their Social Studies classes. Wednesday also is National Appreciation Day for Catholic Schools, and St. Vincent's Home and School Association will provide buttons with the logo "Schools of Choice: Catholic Schools" to parents and students.

Thursday is "Family Day", and parents are invited to join their children in the classrooms and for lunch. Also, at 1 p.m., an all-school prayer for peace will be held in the Parish Center.

On Friday, the theme will be "Friends," and a special presentation will be made to a past graduate of St. Vincent's. It's also School Spirit Day and students are asked to wear green, the school color. A raffle will be held Friday at 1:30 p.m., with proceeds going toward care packages for soldiers serving in Saudi Arabia.

Students will bring items from home to donate to the raffle, and can purchase raffle tickets Wednesday through Friday. When the names are drawn Friday, those called will choose from the donated items.

Notre Dame:

Notre Dame will hold parent-teacher conferences Monday at 6 p.m. to start Catholic Schools Week. "The involvement of parents and communication of parents is the focal point of our school," said the school's principal, sister Mary Ann Fischer, S.S.N.D.

On Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 7, parents will participate in a "phone-a-thon" where they'll be asked to telephone parents of prospective Notre Dame students.

For National Appreciation Day Wednesday, parents will prepare a luncheon for school teachers. Also the junior class will celebrate mass together at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Friday afternoon will feature a "parent-student exchange," where parents will attend their children's classes from 1:30-3 p.m. and students will be allowed to go home to "become parents," Fischer said.

Saturday activities include a Scholar Bowl tournament with eight area high schools participating. The tournament begins at 8:30 a.m.. A placement test for incoming Notre Dame freshman also will begin at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

St. Mary's:

St. Mary's School students will start their Catholic Schools Week by lecturing and commentating during today's mass.

On Monday, the Home and School Association will be serving the school's faculty an appreciation luncheon.

Wednesday and Thursday will be celebrated as "Open House Days" at the school, and families are invited to attend classes during the morning. Faculty will provide refreshments for the visitors.

The Student Council will sponsor a Family Skating Night Thursday at The Ice, and on Friday, a special closing liturgy will be celebrated at 8 a.m. mass. Students will select persons or groups to participate in the liturgy.

To conclude Catholic Schools Week, the Home and School Association will sponsor a February Fantasy Dinner Auction Saturday at the school. The doors will open at 4:30 p.m. and dinner will be served at 6 p.m

More than 300 items have been donated by residents and businesses for the auction. The public is invited to the dinner and tickets can be purchased for $12.50 each by calling the school at 335-3840.

Immaculate Conception:

Rita Fisher, principal at Immaculate Conception in Jackson, said that activities there will commence today with a pancake and sausage breakfast at the school cafeteria from 7 a.m. until noon.

On Monday, older students will pair up with younger students, and conduct interviews for the purpose of designing quilt blocks for their partners. The students will sew the blocks together into a quilt that will hang in the school cafeteria.

Wednesday's National Appreciation Day will be celebrated with students and faculty wearing commemorative buttons.

Also during the week, each class will be assigned a particular continent to research for a poster design, Fisher said. The continents will be included in a "Kaleidoscope of Continents" ceremony that will be held at the school gymnasium at 2:15 Thursday.

An all-school mass will be celebrated at 8 a.m. Friday, and activities will conclude with a sack lunch, where "quilt partners" will eat together and play partner bingo.