Philly elementary students use music, art, and prayer to connect with each other
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Looking ahead to Catholic Schools Week 2020, we visited St. Laurentius School in Fishtown to meet some talented students taking advantage of new opportunities.
4th and 6th graders were showing off their skills on the ukelele and guitar. 2nd graders were presenting a project called, "Our Community: Fishtown," with which they built a model of the neighborhood to sprawl across the classroom floor using construction paper.
These are just two examples of initiatives flowing from STREAM, a newly implemented program focusing on science, technology, religion, engineering, art, and mathematics.
Teachers and staff emphasized the importance of getting students out of their desks and hands-on with real-world tools. It gives them a chance to work together and solve problems while having fun at the same time.
Principal Elaine McKnight understands this evolution better than anyone. She is among four generations of family that attended St. Laurentius, starting with her parents and continuing today with her grandchildren. She is simply thrilled to see the school's success and brags that she has the best job ever!
The Vice Principal, Mr. Duane Rutkowski, is also an alum of St. Laurentius and lifelong resident of Fishtown. He calls giving back to his community as a teacher "a lifelong dream."
Their theme for Catholic Schools Week 2020 is "Renaissance." To commemorate, students painted a mural of "The Last Supper" by Leonardo DaVinci, replacing the apostles with self-portraits!
Watch our video to see how this school is building even more of a family atmosphere through STREAM.
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