May 18, 2014
Dear St. Raphael School Families and Parishioners,
We have a number of things to celebrate this week at St. Raphael, first and foremost being the graduation of our 8 ^th Grade Class of 2014. As the saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child,” and so it is at St. Raphael. It takes an entire school and parish community to ensure that these young men and women grow in faith and knowledge as students at St. Raphael. Our parish celebration of their graduation is a symbol of this community-wide commitment to them. From parishioners who donate their hard-earned money, to the parents who sacrifice to afford Catholic education, to the teachers dedicated to Catholic education who work tirelessly for substantially less pay than their public school counterparts – all of these members of the “village” help lead these 8 ^th Graders on the path of scholastic success and spiritual formation. We are proud of our 8 ^th Grade class, and we are ever grateful to the parish community at large for all that they do to help bring these students to such an important day. Thank you!
We are also celebrating the honor being bestowed on our Upper Department Social Studies teacher, Mrs. Christy Connor, this weekend. You may remember that we announced back at the beginning of the school year that Mrs. Connor had been selected as the recipient of the 2013 Excellence in Education Award from the Missouri Humanities Council, for her work as a teacher, leader, and mentor for her students in History Day competitions. She is receiving the official award this Saturday, May 17 ^th at a formal event, complete with government dignitaries and lots of St. Raphael supporters. We are so proud of Mrs. Connor, and so grateful to have her as part of our St. Raphael School community. Congratulations Mrs. Connor!
On a personal note, I must miss the 8 ^th Grade Graduation at St. Raphael this year, because our family will be in South Bend, Indiana celebrating our son Michael’s graduation from the University of Notre Dame. As I told the 8 ^th Grade students, I will be with them in spirit, and I will pray for them and a successful graduation weekend. Congratulations Class of 2014!
Peace and Blessings,
Kim Vangel
Principal