St. Jude Honors Tradition Of Educational Excellence

By ERIKA ANDERSON, Staff Writer

Published: November 20, 2003

ATLANTA—At St. Jude the Apostle School, the reasons to celebrate were many. And on Nov. 4, the community was able to share its joy with Archbishop John F. Donoghue who visited to honor the school’s 41 years of dedication to Catholic education, to bless the school’s new fine arts suite and to celebrate the school’s “No Child Left Behind Blue School Ribbon of Excellence” award.

The archbishop celebrated Mass for students, faculty, staff and parents, each of them wearing blue ribbons to commemorate their honor, which principal Patty Childs had just received in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 1. The students’ excitement in seeing the archbishop was evident.

“It’s been a while since he’s been here,” Childs said. “The students are very excited to see him. This is really the first chance some of the kids have had to have Mass with him.”

The Mass itself represented a variety of generations at St. Jude the Apostle School, which commemorated its 40th anniversary last year. Former principal Barbara Poole offered the first reading, and alumni brought forth the gifts.

The students enthusiastically participated in the Mass, singing proudly and hanging on every word of the homily.

St. Paul said that God has given many gifts, and at St. Jude’s some of those gifts include its strong tradition of over four decades, the archbishop said.

“Forty-one years means that there might be, I don’t know, but there might even be grandparents here today, whose children and whose grandchildren have attended this school,” he said. “That is a real tradition, a legacy and a very special gift from God.”

He was also “happy and proud to hear about the Blue Ribbon Award given to St. Jude School.”

“Only five other private schools in the state, and only 47 in the whole country received this award,” he said. “But it means that you are an example for other schools—schools that might be struggling to help their own students. Now they have a leader to show them the way.”

And every good school has to improve and grow, building to improve its goals.

“Another proof of this is the new Fine Arts Center, which I will be blessing after this Mass,” he said. “It shows how the people here, when they put their gifts together, can come up with a new way to make education at St. Jude School even better than it was before.”

Everyone — adults, children, clergy and lay people — still need to be taught by Jesus, the archbishop said.

“I hope today you will think about this, whatever your age,” he said. “And I know that if you want to really learn more about God’s love, then you could find no better place to start, than here at St. Jude the Apostle Catholic School.”

Following the Mass, students waving blue and white flags lined a pathway leading from the church to the school and sang the school’s “Hymn to St. Jude.” As special guests and the archbishop processed through the line, many students seemed awed.

Gathering in the new band room, the archbishop blessed the suite.

Construction began June 9 on the new wing, which previously belonged to the church and was connected to the school via an open-air walkway.

The $378,000 project, designed by Hiscutt and Associates of Atlanta and built by contractors Carter deGolian, added an art room, a science lab, choral room, band room and four bathrooms. The previously open walkway was enclosed and 20 feet of space was added to the wing.

Art teacher Beth Deery, who has taught at the school for six years, said that the new art room has changed the way the students perform.

“I am just totally blown away by (the room),” she said. “The space issue has helped so much. I’ve really seen a difference in the kids’ art. The kids are more free to do what they want. I can do a lot more demonstrations, and it keeps the kids more organized. It keeps me more organized.”

The project was part of a $3 million capital improvements campaign for both the school and St. Jude Church. One of the major things the new wing allows is the ability to bring the sixth grade, which previously met in the old wing of the church, back into the school, Childs said.

“It really elevates the school to the level it should be. It allows us better planning academically and nobody feels isolated anymore. We are one school building now. There are just so many advantages,” she said.

Msgr. James Fennessy, pastor of St. Jude Church, who concelebrated the Mass with the archbishop, was extremely supportive, Childs said, and made the school a priority.

The school is an important part of the St. Jude community, Msgr. Fennessy said.

“The essential mission of the church is to teach, as Christ taught us to teach all nations,” he said. “I believe that this addition to the school will enable the children not only to now achieve a deeper knowledge of the sciences … but will provide a Christian environment in which they learn not just about God’s love for them, but learn love for their neighbors as well.”