Homecoming Activities Culiminate with Saturday Football Games

The School of St. Mary will celebrate students past and present with Homecoming festivities this week. On Friday, the students will cheer on their Crusader football teams with a pep rally at 9:15 a.m. at the Primary Grade Center and 2:40 p.m. at the Upper Grade Center. Saturday, families will gather in the Upper Grade Center parking lot at 7 a.m. to decorate their cars in school colors. A pep rally for families will follow at 8 a.m. to fire-up the teams for the big games. Football games will be held at Lake Forest High School, East Campus.  The junior varsity white team plays at 9:30 a.m., followed by the junior varsity blue team at 11 a.m., and the varsity game at 12:30 p.m.

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First graders at the School of St. Mary put new iPads to use in math and social studies class. After being linked to a math facts website, the students tapped away using the onscreen keyboard to practice basic addition facts. As part of a social studies lesson on families, students viewed and discussed online pictures of customs and celebrations around the world. Students used activities in these subject areas to learn basic iPad functions, such as turning the machine on and off and using the zoom feature.

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School of St. Mary students of all ages participate weekly in Chess-Ed, the extra-curricular chess education program that inspires scholarship. Learning chess provides an intellectual foundation that serves students throughout their lives. Students have fun with a game that teaches life skills such as analytical thinking, problem solving, concentration, patience, creativity, and good sportsmanship. Studies show that playing chess improves cognitive ability. As program director Alice Holt said, "Chess is to the brain, as exercise is to the body."