Each year, starting the last Sunday in January, John Paul II Center takes a week to celebrate one of the many aspects that makes our school unique and that is our Catholic identity. This year, Catholic Schools Week (CSW) means even more to us than usual as we celebrate 35 years of JPII.

During our full week of celebration, everyone participates in a number of great activities, including:

-Our annual sleepover
-A visit with the sisters at Precious Blood Convent
-Mass with Bishop Schlert
-Bowling
-Life Skills Olympics
-Scales & Tales Presentation with Susquehannock Wildlife Society
-Baseballtown Charities Dream League Kickoff Event

Through these fun and motivating events, JPII students and adults are invited to explore religion on a personal level, and while not everyone at our school is Catholic, the underlying values remain meaningful in all that we do.

For instance, each year we celebrate CSW, we give back by taking on a service project that benefits our community in some way. By doing this, we teach our students and adults to be Christ-like and help others who are less fortunate.

St. Francis Home is a local home dedicated to providing comfort and compassionate care with dignity to people with a terminal illness in a loving, faith-based environment. This year, they are the focus of our CSW service project. We are asking students, adults, and staff to collect items like tissues, napkins, toilet paper, soap, paper towels, and other related items to help support and supplement the supplies needed for the home.

With everything going on throughout the school year, everyone at JPII looks forward to Catholic Schools Week, not just for a change of pace, but the fun involved; It’s a celebration of our accomplishments, what makes us unique and gives us our identity, and a great time for us to give back.