Annually, Catholic schools organize a week specifically for Catholic Education. Catholic
Education Week celebrates and promotes Catholic education. Catholic schools strive to focus on holistic education for the students - socially, emotionally, spiritually, physically and culturally. The theme for Catholic Education Week 2023 was centered on “Laudato Si,” an encyclical of Pope Francis, also subtitled “On Care for our Common Home.” It focuses on care for the natural environment and all of God’s creations. Community partnerships (presenters and demonstrators) were invited to educate our students on other important aspects of Laudato Si.
On Monday we started with our theme, “Laudato Si in Action”. We did a class door
competition and poem competition. We gave each class a chance to compete in writing poems and decorate their doors using anything from our environment. Our theme on Tuesday was “Community Awareness Day: Laudato Si”. We did a school wave to promote Laudato Si and to advise the public of how important it is to care for our common home. Each class has to prepare posters and banners based on our theme for that day. Parents were also invited to join the students on the said day.
On Wednesday we had a presenter from the Department of EPA(Environmental
Protection Agency). Mr. Liu Lafaele and his colleagues were sharing the importance of a
cleaning environment, the three R’s(Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). They were also talking about pesticides and its effect on the environment.
Thursday we had a presenter from our main office in Fatu-o-Aiga to talk about our
theme, “Love Thy Neighbor”. Ms. Veronica Lawson was talking about the importance of caring for another human being, as we are all part of Laudato Si’. A donation drive for the Tropical Pets Veterinary Hospital and Shelter in Tafuna was collected throughout the week and set to be delivered on Friday.
The last day of our program we had people from the Department of Land Grant at the
American Samoa Community College to share about how we can save our planets by taking good care of our lands. The land sustains every aspect of our lives, providing fundamental life-support systems and the foundation of our economy and society. Taking care of the land means taking care of the water and the protection of every living thing that depends on it. Land provides food, water, materials, dwellings and shelter not only for humans but also for animals. A healthy environment can provide healthy air for all to breathe, a temperature we can endure, good water we can drink, and great soils that support the plants and animals we use.
Acknowledging partnerships with the following individuals and agencies:
American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency
Tropical Pets Veterinary Hospital and Shelter in Tafuna
Department of Agriculture
Land Grant 4-H Program
ASCC ACNR
Ms. Veronica Lawson - Teacher Mentor from Palms Australia Organization
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