BELLEFONTE — Saint John the Evangelist Catholic School in Bellefonte celebrated its 125th anniversary year on Feb. 4 with a proclamation from Bellefonte Mayor Tom Wilson and community service completed by the students.
The school also named Thursday, Feb. 4, Community Appreciation Day in honor of its history in the community in Bellefonte. The students met with firefighters, police officers, detectives, emergency medical technicians and the mayor to see and thank those who help keep their community safe.
“All week long, we tried to honor, we showed appreciation to someone different,” said Kristina Tice, principal of Saint John School. This also included parents, teachers, volunteers and those who hold positions in the church.
Community service is something the school has always focused on, especially this year, which has been declared a year of mercy by the Pope, according to Tice.
“We’ve partnered with Empower Orphans this year. Neha Gupta is a Penn State student and she started it when she was 9 years old. It’s a tremendous organization and so we’ve joined with them twice this year,” said Tice. Empower Orphans is an international non-profit organization that “supports and creates opportunities for orphaned and underprivileged children in the United States and around the world,” said the school in its press release.
According to Tice, the students have been influenced by Gupta, taking to heart the message that “it doesn’t matter how old you are, you can make a difference in the world. And even if it’s just your small world, you can make a difference.”
The students also participate in additional community service throughout the year including a coat drive, a toy drive, food collection for food banks, and card writing during holidays to the elderly, the retired Sisters, the sick and shut-ins of the parish and prisoners, said Tice.
“If they learn it from the beginning, that you have a role in making your community a better place, I think that’s huge,” said Tice.
Saint John School was founded in 1890 by The Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who served the school for 102 years. Today, the school serves about 130 students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade from Bellefonte, Penns Valley, and Bald Eagle Area school districts, according to a press release from the school. The school is led by Tice and Father George Jakopac, pastor.
Along the hallways of the school, black and white photographs of students throughout the past 125 years compiled by volunteers pepper the spaces between the brightly colored projects of the current students. The photographs were put up for the school’s recent open house.
“Parents came for the open house and alumni were in just looking around and it was great to see them snapping pictures of themselves back in third grade,” said Tice, who herself is an alumna. “There are currently dozens of students whose parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and siblings are Saint John graduates,” said Tice in the school’s press release.
Today, the school keeps up with modern technology and curriculum, but blends that modernity with the tradition of religion and the school’s focus on service to the community.
“I think I can honestly say that everybody who works here or who has been a part of this school feels a deep connection to this school. You don’t often feel that way about your elementary school, I think, but this school really is such a family,” said Tice. “Saint John School is thriving and we are excited to continue providing a Catholic education to future generations for the next 125 years and beyond.”
