Rosati-Kain High School Blog

Since 1911, the School Sisters of Notre Dame have worked to educate and support the students and school community of Rosati-Kain High School. This March, a concert will be held at the SSND Motherhouse to benefit their community.

The Chapel at the SSND Motherhouse.

The Sundance Trio, an ensemble of oboe, bassoon and piano, will perform on March 13 and 14, 2010, in the chapel of the School Sisters of Notre Dame motherhouse in south St. Louis County. The recital includes classical, jazz and modern music and benefits the active ministries and retirement needs of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. The March 13 performance is at 7 p.m., followed by a wine and cheese reception, and costs $40. The March 14 performance is at 2 p.m. and costs $25 ($15 for college and high school students). The motherhouse is located at 320 E. Ripa Ave., St. Louis, MO, 63125. Contact resource development at 314.633.7032 or ssndrdo@ssnd-sl.org. Biographies of the performers are posted on the School Sisters of Notre Dame website: www.ssnd-sl.org.

The Sundance Trio

The Faculty beat the class of 2010 in 3 out of 3 Spirit Week Volleyball games at R-K this afternoon! Check out photos below!

Elizabeth Brennan, R-K class of 2010

Congratulations to current R-K senior Elizabeth Brennan (’10) for winning first place in the Archdiocese’s Catholic Schools Week Essay Contest! Students were invited to complete the statement “My school is the good news in education because…” Brennan’s essay highlights the R-K curriculum, many of its mission-based co-curricular programs and the faculty and staff as essential components of the Gospel message as it is being lived at R-K. Whether you’re an alumna, a parent, or a friend of the school, please take a moment to read Elizabeth’s essay – it will reaffirm your faith in the future of R-K women!

Rosati-Kain is the Good News in Education

Elizabeth Brennan, ’10

Though Rosati-Kain High School is only one of around 30 Catholic high schools in Saint Louis, and its enrollment includes only 400 students, it plays an important role of being the “Good News in Education” through its massive impact on students’ faith and educational futures.

When students attend Rosati-Kain, they enter a school whose entire history has been based upon a love for God and the Gospel. The literal way in which Rosati is the “Good News in Education” is the school offers girls an excellent education in secular studies and in the faith which has been passed down through the Gospel, or the “Good News.” Students are given ample opportunities to deepen their spiritual lives through daily prayer, celebrations of the Mass and Reconciliation, faith-based clubs, and, of course, theology courses which use materials approved by the Archdiocese of Saint Louis. Students learn the importance of their relationships with God and the Church, and are encouraged to continue to strengthen their spiritual lives after graduation. Staff members serve as role models of Catholic adults living the faith in the single life, married life, and religious life. In addition, students often receive an education about the virtues of selflessness and generosity from the sacrifices which many parents make to send their children to a Catholic high school. Because of the encouragement in the Catholic faith and the faithful people of Rosati-Kain, students graduate with a means of supporting their spiritual futures as they bring the message of Christ to those they encounter.

A Rosati-Kain education is indeed “Good News” because it gives students opportunities to be academically enriched from a rigorous curriculum. Through staff members dedicated to their work, students receive an education which will leave a lasting impact upon their lives.

Rosati-Kain recognizes the necessity of education in today’s world, and educates its students in a college-preparatory environment. Courses include “hands-on” learning as well as discussion-based classes, which allow students to learn the material in memorable ways. A Rosati-Kain education also teaches students how to make positive changes in the world. Students are active in clubs such as Pro-Life Club, the Service Sorority, the Science and Environmental Club, and the Diversity Club that attempt to rectify injustice in our world. Rosati-Kain educates the young woman in her entirety. Students are encouraged to join extra-curricular activities to strengthen their social and practical abilities, as well as to have fun. From sports teams to the Movie Critics Club to the Campus Ministry, girls find activities they enjoy. Rosati-Kain offers its young women the education and life skills they will need for success in their futures.

Rosati-Kain High School is the “Good News in Education” because it prepares its students for their spiritual and educational futures. As girls partake in a first-rate educational experience, they also deepen their roots in the Catholic faith. The “Good News” of the Gospel shines today, especially through Rosati-Kain High School, the “Good News in Education.”

From Ms. Claire Henning, R-K faculty member and Jenny’s classmate. 

The Rosati-Kain High School Student Council (STUCO) organized a collection from students to help fund relief efforts in Haiti. $370 was gathered from student donations, and STUCO officers voted to donate $130 from the council treasury. A $500 donation was sent, on behalf of the Rosati-Kain High School community to Catholic Relief Services.

“R-K STUCO officers began approaching me the same day that the earthquake happened,” says R-K STUCO Moderator and Biology Teacher Mrs. Donna Scott. “Speaking on behalf of their classmates, they wanted to do something – anything that they could – to help.”

Working with school administrators, student leaders decided to make a donation through Catholic Relief Services, a Baltimore-based organization that has been working in Haiti for the past 50 years.

“After the earthquake in Haiti, many people were asking what they could do,” notes R-K President Sr. Joan Andert, SSND. “It was wonderful to see R-K student leaders taking initiative, organizing the project, collecting funds, and then supplementing the relief efforts from their own club treasury. STUCO officers and students showed their commitment to our mission: contributing in the spirit of Jesus Christ to our world community.”

According to the Catholic News Service, Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services has been asked by the Vatican to coordinate the church’s relief and recovery efforts in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. The Pontifical Council Cor Unum, the Vatican office that promotes and coordinates Catholic charitable giving and distributes the money the pope designates for charity, made the request of the U.S. bishops’ aid agency because of its experience and expertise in Haiti, the most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere.

The mission statement of R-K includes the line “an ever-changing, multi-cultural world community,” recognizing that the ethnic and cultural diversity is an aspect to be embraced and celebrated. On Friday the 16^th, R-K students and faculty celebrated the end of the first academic quarter with October Day festivities, designed to help the school community reconnect with a specific aspect of the mission.

This year, the theme focused on the multi-cultural world community and featured dancing, discussions, speakers from various cultures and performances. The afternoon concluded with a prayer service, the “Jam in the Gym” and – of course – bubbles in the courtyard. 

For principal Judy Mohan, the festivities provided closure for the first quarter routine, and was a great kickoff for the second one. “October Day helps us all focus on our identity as a school community,” she noted. “Immersing ourselves in our mission and vision for a whole day makes living it out, through the rest of the semester, more meaningful.”

 Last year, students focused on global stewardship and increasing environmental awareness – and stay tuned for more information about next year’s events!

The Giving Garden at R-K, before the center stone with the Rosati-Kain school crest was installed.

This summer, Rosati-Kain High School installed a “Giving Garden” to recognize the individuals and families that work to support R-K throughout the year. The garden consists of a series of paving stones, selected to complement the distinctive tan bricks used in the R-K building. The individual bricks were laid in early August, and a center stone featuring the Rosati-Kain crest was put in place just after school began.

Currently, the Giving Garden honors the members of the Caritas Society.  For more information about the Caritas Society or making a gift to the school, please contact our Development Director, Cynthia Forcelledo via email at rkdevelopment@rosati-kain.org or by phone at (314) 533-8513, ext. 216.

Individual bricks are still available for purchase, and ordering information will be available on our web site, www.rosati-kain.org. In the meantime, thanks to all who work to support R-K through their gifts, time and talent!

The new paving bricks, prior to engraving.

Caritas Society Brick

Brick honoring Sr. Joan Andert, SSND, alumnae ('69), former principal and current president of R-K.

Welcome!

This year, this blog will be a way for parents, current students, alumnae and friends of R-K to keep up to date with the news, events and narratives of Rosati-Kain High School. We hope you’ll subscribe to our RSS feed, join the conversation with your comments, and let us know what you think!