Value of learning mantra at St Hubert for Catholic Schools Week, all year

Preparing students to be academically, morally and socially prepared for the future is the aim of St. Hubert Catholic School, whose leadership believes in the "value of learning."

In anticipation of National Catholic Schools Week Sunday through Feb. 2 and armed with those aims, St. Hubert principal Vito DeFrisco, assistant principal Alison O'Connor, and all the teachers daily encourage children to be life-long learners and help them develop an appreciation of learning.

The Rev. Robert Rizzo, pastor, firmly believes the school is essential for parish completeness, maintaining that St. Hubert is neither just a church nor just a school, but "a parish that also has a school."

"Our Catholic school is integral to our parish, and we strive in our Catholic education to teach our children that Jesus Christ is present in all facets of society, Rizzo said. "We instruct our young ones that when they leave here at graduation they continue to follow that dictate."

Following the national theme of "Catholic Schools Light the Way," students from each homeroom incorporated the school's colors of gold and black, decorating banners with symbols such as candles or lighthouses to depict their insights on how they may light the way. The banners hang in the hallway outside each room of the school, which houses pupils in 3- and 4-year-old preschool to students in junior high.

School officials invited Hoffman Estates Mayor Bill McLeod and Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson to attend the kick off of Catholic Schools Week at an open house for the community, held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday in the school, 255 Flagstaff Lane, Hoffman Estates.

Preceding the open house, students and their parents may attend the 9 or 10:45 a.m. Masses in the St. Hubert Ministry Center, the church's current worship space while renovation of the church continues.

O'Connor said eighth-graders, who are trying to earn service hours, will conduct tours. Acting as a hospitality team, members of the student council, school board members and teachers also will lead tours. The school offers a quality education to children in Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg, as well as youngsters in surrounding towns, including Hanover Park, Streamwood and Bartlett.

Each day of the celebratory week offers its own theme. For instance the focus for Monday is "Our Community and Country Lights the Way," when students donate useful items such as wet wipes, deodorant, cotton swabs, coffee, sun block and disposable cameras for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Our Parents Light the Way" on Tuesday, will be devoted to letter writing when students thank parents for giving them their education, and "Our Students Light the Way" on Wednesday, when school colors designate school spirit day. A volunteer thank-you breakfast lights the way for volunteers on Thursday. The week ends with a "Fanatic Fan Fun Day" on Feb. 1, when "Our Teachers Light the Way."

Parents may use the open house to register their children for the 2008-2009 school year, according to O'Connor, who believes Catholic Schools Week is an opportunity to celebrate the school's mission.

"We strive to develop the whole child and we foster the involvement of parents in the home, church and the school. We offer a fine arts program as part of our curriculum and Spanish to our children from the fifth through eighth grades," O'Connor said. "We also offer after-school programs, including the Young Rembrandts Art Program and Spanish for the younger grades." Working parents may take advantage of the extended school care time.

The school boasts a state-of-the-art technology lab, a gymnasium and a multimedia center with more than 10,000 books and reference materials.

Those registering children should take their child's original birth certificate and pay a $60 fee. O'Connor pointed out that the school accepts non-Catholic students. She is pleased with this year's theme incorporating light.

"As we light the way academically, spiritually, physically and socially we are creating students for the next generation to be Catholic citizens in the world," she said.

For more information, call the office at (847) 885-7702.