February 8, 2018 Your weekly informaon link to Saint Paul Catholic School thelink Calendar February Fri, February 9 - End of Progress Period Mon, February 12 - Jump-a-thon Kickoff Tues, February 13 - Mardi Gras Luncheon Wed, February 14 - Ash Wednesday—All School Mass - Valenne’s Day Thurs, February 15 - Progress Reports Fri, February 16 - NO SCHOOL—Midwinter Break - Fish Fry Mon, February 19 - NO SCHOOL—Presidents’ Day Thurs, February 22 - Math Bowl Compeon Mon, February 26 - I-STEP+ tesng begins March Sat, March 3 - 3rd Gr. Communion Re- treat Mon, March 5 - Dress Alternave Day - Jump-a-thon (K-3) Wed, March 7 - Talent Show Tryouts Sat, March 10 - Annual Benefit—Magic & Mischief From our school principal Disnguished Graduate Award—Jane Scupham Each year at the beginning of Catholic Schools Week, we recognize a distinguished graduate of Saint Paul Catholic School. This award, according to the National Catholic Educational Association, is intended to honor graduates of Catholic elementary/middle schools who have made a contribution to American life and/or the Catholic Church. The recipient must have graduated from the Catholic school at least ten years prior to receiving the award. I am proud to announce this year’s recipient of the Distinguished Graduate Award is Mrs. Catherine Marrell Douglas. One of the best parts of giving this award is the pulling of the nominee’s permanent file from our archives. What a treasure trove of untold stories await in all those boxes! What was I able to find out about Cathy and her school life at (as she referred to it) the old, old Saint Paul’s? Cathy was born in Chicago, Illinois to Vernon and Virginia Marrell. She was baptized in 1944 at Saint Paul Church. She received her First Communion at Saint Paul’s in May of 1952 and in October of the same year she received the sacrament of Reconciliation. She started at Saint Paul Catholic School in September 1950 in first grade in the then new building (Which is now the old, old building that is no longer standing at the corner of Chicago and Campbell.) Cathy continued a family tradition by attending SPCS since her mother was a 1928 graduate.
Transcript
February 8, 2018 Your weekly information link to Saint Paul Catholic School
thelink Calendar
February
Fri, February 9 - End of Progress Period
Mon, February 12 - Jump-a-thon Kickoff
Tues, February 13 - Mardi Gras Luncheon
Wed, February 14 - Ash Wednesday—All
School Mass - Valentine’s Day
Thurs, February 15 - Progress Reports
Fri, February 16 - NO SCHOOL—Midwinter
Break - Fish Fry
Mon, February 19 - NO SCHOOL—Presidents’
Day
Thurs, February 22 - Math Bowl Competition
Mon, February 26 - I-STEP+ testing begins
March
Sat, March 3 - 3rd Gr. Communion Re-
treat
Mon, March 5 - Dress Alternative Day - Jump-a-thon (K-3)
Wed, March 7 - Talent Show Tryouts
Sat, March 10 - Annual Benefit—Magic &
Mischief
From our school principal
Distinguished Graduate Award—Jane Scupham
Each year at the beginning of Catholic Schools Week, we recognize a distinguished graduate
of Saint Paul Catholic School. This award, according to the National Catholic Educational
Association, is intended to honor graduates of Catholic elementary/middle schools who have
made a contribution to American life and/or the Catholic Church. The recipient must have
graduated from the Catholic school at least ten years prior to receiving the award.
I am proud to announce this year’s recipient of the Distinguished Graduate Award is Mrs.
Catherine Marrell Douglas.
One of the best parts of giving this award is the pulling of the nominee’s permanent file from
our archives. What a treasure trove of untold stories await in all those boxes! What was I able
to find out about Cathy and her school life at (as she referred to it) the old, old Saint Paul’s?
Cathy was born in Chicago, Illinois to Vernon and Virginia Marrell. She was baptized in 1944
at Saint Paul Church. She received her First Communion at Saint Paul’s in May of 1952 and
in October of the same year she received the sacrament of Reconciliation. She started at Saint
Paul Catholic School in September 1950 in first grade in the then new building (Which is now
the old, old building that is no longer standing at the corner of Chicago and Campbell.)
Cathy continued a family tradition by attending SPCS since her mother was a 1928 graduate.
2 Saint Paul Catholic School — The Link — February 8, 2018
Distinguished Graduate cont’d— Natalia Cox
In school, Cathy excelled in all subjects, but music and art and writing seemed to be her stand-
outs. She even received the coveted “E” for Excellence in writing and during her middle
school years “Growth in Desirable Habits and Attitudes”! Obviously, the nuns did not know
about Cathy and her classmates trying to steal kisses in the choir loft in the old church during
school hours! Cathy was a cheerleader for the school and you can see her in the timeline by the
Social Hall. Cathy graduated from SPCS in
June of 1958 and went on to Valparaiso High
School where she graduated in 1962. In 1967
Cathy graduated with her BS in Business from
Indiana University.
Cathy married her sweetheart, Jim here at
Saint Paul’s in 1968. Jim and Cathy have two
children—Suzanne who lives in Chicago with
her family and Charlie who lives in Indianap-
olis with his family. Cathy and Jim have 4
grandchildren—a boy and a girl from both of their children. Cathy was
proud to report that all of her grandchildren are attending Catholic schools.
When speaking about her school experience, Cathy said that her desire for service and helping others and her strong faith can
all be attributed to her Catholic schooling. Cathy said that just how the teachers and students interacted with each other,
treating each other with kindness, has left an indelible mark on her. The bonds that she made at SPCS have carried on
through her school years and throughout her adulthood.
She and her husband Jim are members here where Cathy serves as a Eucharistic minister, a money counter, food pantry or-
ganizer, and a funeral luncheon helper. We are blessed to have Cathy as a graduate of SPCS and as an active member here at
church.
Congratulations to Cathy! We’re proud to have you as a distinguished graduate of SPCS!
Prayers
We often have many SPCS family members and friends in need of your prayers. Please pray for them.
Catherine Barber Mary Cooper Carmen Corish Caitlin O’Shea Grace Sullivan
Bob Tittle
Michael Zajac
Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday Potluck Lunch
Remember...Our traditional Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday Luncheon is NEXT WEEK! Food items are to be brought to the school
on the morning of Tuesday, February 13th no later than 10:00 a.m. Please no peanut or tree nut foods. Keep kid-friendly serv-
ing portions and foods in mind when deciding what to bring. Portions should feed about 8-10 servings.
Families with the last names A-E:
Side Dishes (pasta, veggie platters, cut up fruit, etc.)
Families with the last names F-O:
Main Courses (chicken tenders, pizza, finger sandwiches, etc.)
Families with the last name P-Z:
Desserts (cookies, brownies, small cupcakes, etc.)
If you have any questions, please email Sharon Frawley at [email protected].
Help Fill the Yearbook!— Natalia Cox
Please help us fill the yearbook. We are looking for photos that you may have taken at school, on field trips, or at Saint Paul
sporting or other type of events to put in the yearbook. Any photo will be greatly appreciated. We need digital photo files.
Please send the disk to Natalia Cox or you can email them to me at [email protected]. The “deadline” for photo sub-
mission is Friday, February 23.
Thank you for your help! Call Natalia Cox (707-7253) with any questions. The Yearbook Staff will review all photos and determine
final yearbook content. We cannot guarantee that all submissions can be used in the book.
3 Saint Paul Catholic School — The Link — February 8, 2018
My Reflection on Saint Paul Catholic School— Laura Gruszka, SPCS Graduate
Hello, my name is Laura Gruszka, and I graduated from Saint Paul Catholic School 9 years ago. I’m currently living in New York, which is
why I’m not able to deliver my speech myself. Since leaving Saint Paul, I attended Valparaiso High School, the University of Notre Dame,
and now Columbia University in New York City, where I’m earning my Master’s in Fine Arts for fiction writing. In fact, I’ll be teaching a
freshman essay writing class at Columbia in the fall! But let’s not forget why we’re here: to talk about Saint Paul.
If I had to do it over, I’d pick Saint Paul every time. My years at Saint Paul made me certain I wanted to attend a Catholic university. At a
public high school, I missed the tangible Catholicism of the Saint Paul community. I sought out this standard of kindness, honesty, and for-
giveness as I looked to college and beyond. Even if I had not been Catholic, this mission of love and respect would still have been just as forma-
tive.
Saint Paul fosters an intimacy with the Mass that made going to church less distant and more participatory. Public speaking is a common
and never-scary activity at Saint Paul thanks to Mass participation. Because of this, I continued lectoring in high school and college. This
comfort with public speaking has served me exceptionally well.
Saint Paul is more than public speaking and mass attendance, though: all elements of my educational preparation at Saint Paul helped me in
my endeavors. I was challenged when I needed an extra push, and I received individual attention when I needed help. I never felt lost in a
classroom at Saint Paul, and because of this, a love of learning was instilled in me. (I’m in my 18 th consecutive year of school and loving it!)
Entering high school was a smooth transition. Saint Paul prepared me with a rigorous education and a standard of neatness, punctuality,
and organization that I soon found not all my public school peers had received.
I’ll also be forever grateful that Saint Paul middle schoolers get to participate in the Valparaiso Band Program. I started p laying percussion in
sixth grade—and this led to a degree in music at Notre Dame, as well as four years on the Notre Dame Marching Band’s drumline. I even
play in the Columbia University Orchestra now.
If you leave remembering one thing, though, I hope it’s this: though I have left Saint Paul, its community and influence have not left me. I am
still in frequent contact with teachers from Saint Paul. My classmates and I recently met for a reunion and talked as though we’d never part-
ed. Most importantly, I entered Saint Paul at age 6 dreaming of being a writer. Every teacher, every aide, encouraged this dream. Their influ-
ence gave me the knowledge and preparation I needed to pursue that goal to this day. I have Saint Paul to thank not only for my accomplish-
ments, but also for the confident, compassionate, Catholic woman I have become. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to my story.
Friday Night Fun!
4
Mission Statement At Saint Paul Catholic School,
teachers, parents, and students
work together
to create a safe,
caring environment,
based on Christian values and
service to others,
that enables students to learn
and develop
spiritually, academically,
emotionally, and physically.
Saint Paul Catholic School — The Link — February 8, 2018
Saint Paul Catholic School — Faith in Education
1755 W. Harrison Boulevard, Valparaiso, IN 46385 Phone: 219-462-3374 Fax: 219-477-1763 Email: [email protected]
Website: www.stpaulvalpo.org
The Link is the newsletter for Saint Paul Catholic School. Publisher: Jane Scupham Editor: Vicki Schmidt Photographer: Natalia Cox To submit articles for publication in The Link, please send an email to <[email protected]> or send a hard copy labeled “Link” to the office. We welcome your comments and suggestions.
Girls’ Basketball
February 10th
6th (C) - 12:00PM @ SPCS vs. St. Mary GR 6th (K) - 11:00AM @ SPCS vs. St. Casimir
8th - 10:00AM @ SPCS vs. St. John Evangelist
February 11th
6th (C) - 3:00PM @ St. John Evangelist vs. St. John Evangelist 6th (K) - 1:00PM @ St. Stanislaus vs. St. Stanislaus
8th - 2:00PM @ St. Thomas More vs. St. Thomas More #1
