St. Joseph Parish School Raises the Standards

Each year for the last five years, eighth graders at St. Joseph Parish School in Homewood have been creating banners to depict the themes of Catholic Schools Week. This year, the eighth graders, under the direction of Art teacher Mrs. Peggy Adducci, decided to “Raise the Standards” to meet a new artistic challenge and created a hanging mobile instead of the traditional banner.  

Students first discussed what the theme meant and ways to creatively express that meaning both individually as well as collectively.  Adducci and her students decided that this year’s theme, “Raise the Standards” meant to reach beyond the norm, the expected, and challenge themselves to reach their potential as students and future leaders. Each student illustrated an aspect of how Catholic schools challenge him or her as a person, academically, creatively, socially, and most importantly, spiritually.

“While all schools are asked to develop the child academically, creatively, and socially, Catholic schools seek to address each day the spiritual development of the child,” Adducci said.

The painted stained plexiglass panels link the students to the rich tradition of stained glass art in our churches, as both a teaching tool and as a way to enrich the beauty of the worship space. Four sets of panels representing religion, academics, creativity, and social standards were created for the mobile. For the religious panels, students formed  interlocking circles representing the Blessed Trinity, the cross, the dove for the Holy Spirit, and praying hands, among others.  The panels representing academic standards include books, arithmetic, pen and pencil, science, Fine arts, drama, and music. Linking hands and care of our environment illustrated in the flowers and trees represent our social standards.

“All of the banners, including the mobile, first hang in the Parish’s sanctuary and are then moved into the school,” Adducci said. “They are gifts to the school from the students as reminders of the great education they received at St. Joseph Parish School and as a symbol of the bright and colorful prospects facing our students as a result of Catholic Schools raising the standards.”