Bay View Academy Honored Catholic Schools Week With Gratitude And Caring

East Providence, RI – January 30th marked the start of Catholic Schools Week, and Catholic schools all over the country celebrated in their own way. For Bay View, this included a focus on giving thanks, assigning each day to a different group of people for whom they are thankful. Students and faculty showed how “souper caring” they are with a week-long soup and cracker collection to benefit St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Dominic’s Church (Swansea). St. Dominic’s participates in the national “Souper Bowl of Caring.”

The Souper Bowl collection kicked off on Monday the 30th, as students were invited to bring in food donations in order to earn a dress down day later in the week. Students also showed their appreciation for the community. They wrote letters of thanks for community service, including cards for local police and firefighters. The letter writing continued on Tuesday, as students wrote to their families to thank them for choosing Catholic education at Bay View. There also was an Academy wide liturgy, to which all families were invited to attend.

Wednesday was dedicated to celebrating friendship. Older and younger students buddied up for fun community building activities. At lunch, the Bay View Robotics Team, S.M.A.R.T. 2.0, sweetened the excitement with a bake sale. All proceeds went to the team’s trip to compete in the FIRST World Festival in St. Louis, Missouri, this April. Students were allowed to jazz up their uniforms with “bling,” to add an additional touch of sparkle to their day.

Thursday was Student Appreciation Day. The Lower and Middle School wore their favorite pajamas to school, and gathered together to watch The Secret Life of Pets. In the morning, a group of students travelled to the police and fire stations to deliver thank you cards, coffee and donuts. The girls were treated to a tour of the fire house and a presentation about the trucks and fire safety. They visited the dispatch room at the police station and learned how the dispatcher responds to emergency calls. Up on the big screen was an aerial view of Bay View Academy.

On Friday, students in Grade 5 wrote and delivered a letter of thanks to every member of the Lower School’s faculty and staff, all of whom were invited to dress down themselves that day, and enjoy a lunch from Panera. Students who donated a can of soup to the “Souper Bowl of Caring” dressed up in their favorite football team’s attire/colors. The halls were overwhelmingly red, white and blue in support of the New England Patriots.