UNSUNG HEROES

Last evening, we honored several schools in the local communities who did ordinary service in extraordinary ways. Our Students In Action team went in search of elementary schools who were helping the people in need in countless ways from donating food and clothing, to helping the Hurricane Sandy victims, Operation Smile Donations, Cancer walks, giving toys to tots, and reaching out to grieving families.

As a Catholic School, Service Leadership has been a cornerstone of our school culture for almost 100 years! This June, Benedictine Academy was awarded as the #1 High School in the Nation for Public Service Leadership and received the Jefferson Award Gold Medal in Washington D.C.. The Jefferson Award was established forty years ago by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Sam Beard to inspire leaders to be instruments of change in our world.

The top three elementary schools in public service were St. Genevieve School, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and St. Mary School in Newark. Each of these schools received Students In Action certificates and will receive a banner for their outstanding service. 

St. Michael School, St . Joseph the Carpenter School and Holy Spirit School were also honored for their service to the communities.  

President Barack Obama proclaimed this past Monday that "Service is what this nation of America is about." He reminded America that we have a dream, like Martin Luther King Jr., for all our brothers and sisters in America. At Benedictine Academy, we too have a dream... to be an avalanche of hope for the world.  Our Benedictine Academy parents, Mrs. Herrejon and Mr. Roque, were recognized for their outstanding contributions in helping our school make dreams come true.