Great First Impression Lasts Through School Day

By Kate Curley

Welcome to our school! Walk up the steps, open the door and step into the warmth of our school community. On a cold winter morning, the smell of the morning coffee brewing in the teacher's room is a welcome greeting. Other than the sounds of conversation down the hall, the building itself is quiet, but this quiet won't last long. Soon, the bell will ring, and the students will come bursting through the doors. For the next seven and a half hours, this building, this collection of classrooms, materials and equipment, will house a community of learners who have come together as part of the St. Mary School family.

Once the students arrive, the building comes alive with an energy that is both palpable and contagious. Everyone heads to their homeroom, chatting, smiling, laughing, and greeting those around them. Jackets and backpacks are hung on hooks, books are gathered, morning tasks are completed, and directions are given. By the time the morning prayer bell rings, the order of the day has been established and everyone is ready to begin.

Prayer bell rings, and we begin the day, as we begin all things, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen." For the first of several times in the course of what will be a long and busy day, everyone is silent, joined in common prayer, listening to the morning reading over the intercom. Then, with one voice, prayers are recited, allegiance is pledged, and a song is sung. The day has officially begun. It's time to go to class.

Books and notebooks, pens, pencils and papers fill the desks and arms of the students as they begin their morning. Math and spelling are corrected, book reports are turned in, and religion projects are shared. Handwriting, science vocabulary, and math facts are practiced. New skills are built on yesterday's lessons. Student voices mingle with the quiet of learning. The building is alive with the energy of the young and the not-quite-so-young, as teaching and learning fill the hearts and minds of student and teacher alike. As the day ends, everyone comes together again in prayer, as we end the day in the way we began, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. God made us a family. We need one another, we love one another, we forgive one another".Together we serve our God, together we hope for heaven." It has been a wonderful day at St. Mary School.

Mrs. Curley teaches fifth and sixth grade Literature, English, and Study Skills. This is her first year teaching at St. Mary School.