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THE NEWCOMER FAMILY 3/2019
Why did you choose St. Patrick Catholic School?
I am a Catholic school graduate having attended St. Joseph's Dallastown (1st through 8th) and then York Catholic (9th through 12th). We wanted our children to have the experience of the smaller class size and the chance to have more one on one time with their teachers.
Why do you continue to send your children to St. Patrick?
In all honesty its the fact we have been at St. Patrick going on 9 years and got to know a good amount of the families.
What surprises you about the environment at St. Patrick ?
Our community is a family in many ways. There is always an engaging activity planned. The students are always giving back. The teachers are excited to learn and grow side-by-side with the students. It is a welcoming atmosphere where the positive learning experiences of students are the focal point of each and every school day.
What do you value most about Catholic Education?
The smaller class size and attention the teachers show to their students.
Jaiden went to St. Patrick from K-6. Peyton started with Pre-K4 and is currently in 5th grade. Both Boys are Altar Servers and play basketball for the St. Patrick team. Jaiden is now an 8th grader at York Catholic, he is in the Marching Band playing the drums a love he found from taking lessons from Mrs. Frey. He also plays baseball for United Parishes. Peyton plays lacrosse and soccer also for the United Parishes teams.
THE WILLIAMS FAMILY 2/2019
Why did you choose St. Patrick Catholic School?
We chose St. Patrick Catholic School after searching for a good fit for our two active sons. We visited the school at an Open House in 2017 and were pleased with the focus on faith, family, community, and academics. Our family was welcomed warmly and provided a tour of the school by Ms. Smith. She patiently answered all my questions on academic rigor, structure, extracurricular activities and discipline. After reading through the provided literature I was convinced the school would be a good fit for my rising 2nd and 4th grader.
Why do you continue to send your children to St. Patrick?
Both now in their second year, my sons are actively involved in the school community - school choir, liturgical choir, chime choir, Environthon, Cooking with Kids, Student Government and Honors Band. They are both challenged academically and growing in faith due to the commitment and high expectations of the wonderful teachers they have at St. Patrick.
What surprises you about the environment at St. Patrick ?
Our community is a family in many ways. There is always an engaging activity planned. The students are always giving back. The teachers are excited to learn and grow side-by-side with the students. It is a welcoming atmosphere where the positive learning experiences of students are the focal point of each and every school day.
What do you value most about Catholic Education?
I am always amazed at the level of positive energy you feel when you walk in the St. Patrick school building - from morning drop off to interactions with Ms. Runk in the school office to meetings with PTO, staff, teachers and the principal, you always leave with a good feeling. While this positive energy is felt by me as a parent, more importantly, it is also felt by my sons who go into and come out of school smiling every day. In addition to the positive energy is the diversity that St. Patrick has managed to maintain over decades in a community that has significantly changed over time. This diversity was important to my family as we wanted our children to be in a faith filled and loving environment that appreciated and embraced diversity, St. Patrick does this amazingly well.
What would you like to see in either St. Patrick and/or Catholic Education in the York deanery?
My sons are the fourth generation in my family to receive a Catholic Education. Because there are so many influences on our children outside of our control I see the Catholic Education that my children are receiving at St. Patrick as a way to reinforce daily the morals and values that are important to our family. It would be nice to see more interactions between and among the various elementary schools in the deanery. This will encourage the students and families to get to know each other, promote a larger sense of community across the deanery, and assist in increasing retention of students through middle and into High School.
My husband, Jason and I live in Shrewsbury, PA and have three children, two sons, Jason Jr. and Jordan who both attend St. Patrick and one daughter Jasmin, who is in college at Norfolk State University. Jason is an Athletic Director in Baltimore City Public Schools and I am a Food Scientist with the US Department of Agriculture. Our parish home is St. John the Baptist in New Freedom, PA. St. Patrick was truly a hidden gem to our family and we are so blessed to have found it.
THE ANDERSON FAMILY 1/2019
Why did you choose St. Patrick Catholic School?
My husband and I are not from Pennsylvania, so we were not familiar with schools until our oldest son became school-aged. We learned about St. Pat's from a co-worker whose child attended St. Pat's. We decided to visit the school and take a tour. We chose St. Pat's because there was a sense of love and family when we took our tour. Our interactions with staff were genuine and we truly felt that the staff at St. Pat's would instill the values of Catholicism and education that we want our children to learn, respect, and develop.
Why do you continue to send your children to St. Patrick?
Our children are learning rigorous academic skills but also determination, resilience, empathy, respect, and perseverance. We want our children to grow in an environment that supports their natural skills while challenging them to learn new things. St. Pat's provides a holistic education, and that is important to us.
What surprises you about the environment at St. Patrick ?
Our community is a family in many ways. There is always an engaging activity planned. The students are always giving back. The teachers are excited to learn and grow side-by-side with the students. It is a welcoming atmosphere where the positive learning experiences of students are the focal point of each and every school day.
What do you value most about Catholic Education?
I value that the education is not simply skills-based. The Catholic education at St. Pat's is about growing children who will make good life decisions, who know and have responsibility, who accept personal responsibility for their actions, who live a life of value, acceptance, and empathy. My children do not simply study religion during a religion class, they are learning how to bring Christ into their lives on a level in which they can understand and relate. They are coached through religious values to be good people who contribute good things to society. They are counseled on behaviors, not made to feel ashamed, not simply disciplined, but taught how to make better choices throughout their future.
What would you like to see in either St. Patrick and/or Catholic Education in the York deanery?
What we have in our Catholic schools is rare. We, as a community of stakeholders, need to recognize the beauty that is within our schools. We need to celebrate our strengths together and lean on each other for support. Our community acceptance and support shows that we are united to support the phenomenal education our children receive. We are blessed to have the teachers and staff in our schools who work so hard to love, nurture, and teach our children as if they are their own. Actions and relationships like those are becoming a rarity in society. I would like to see a local CYO group to provide more opportunities for all students and families in the Deanery to meet and participate in activities prior to attending York Catholic.