Students at St. Barnabas School in Northfield were excited to share their community of faith while incorporating their class work when Bishop Nelson Perez visited on Nov. 18.
When he arrived, the bishop learned that the school’s theme for the year is “Be Gentle to All.” In his homily, he noted how the theme went hand-in-hand with the day’s Gospel.
“In the Gospel, Jesus is an incredible example of what it means to be gentle. The blind man knew Jesus was his hope and his dream. Jesus was gentle when he called the blind man to him,” Bishop Perez said. “Is not the world a better place when we are gentle? Today’s Gospel represents your school theme and calls us to be gentle.”
He then charged the students with saying this one thing to three people today: “I need to tell you something -- God loves you.”
St. Barnabas students presented Bishop Perez with a handmade rosary that included the theme, which is inspired by St. Teresa of Avila. The rosary is encased in a shadow box for display.
Students guided the bishop on a tour of the school, showing off the newly renovated DREAM Den, where some students were engaged in a robotics lesson.
Next, the bishop recorded an episode of “Tell me Tuesday,” which airs weekly through the school’s video announcements. Principal Erin Faetanini explained that the segment, which usually is led by Father Matt Byrne, the parish parochial vicar, allows students to ask questions about their faith and why we, as Catholics, believe or do as we do. The episode is shared with parents through the weekly newsletter.
While visiting a first grade classroom, Bishop Perez was interviewed for the school newspaper, The Next Edition. The paper is funded by the GAR Foundation of Summit County.
Students write the articles, conduct interviews, take photos, write editorials, comics and more. The grant has allowed them to travel to Kent State University to work with the journalism department there.
This year -- which is the second year of the grant -- a Newspaper Club was started for students in grades 2-8. Members meet monthly to expand the newspaper by writing four new pages. The newspaper was the feature story at the GAR Educator Summit in October in downtown Akron.
Students will write a story about Bishop Perez’s visit and include the answers they got during their class interview. The bishop was asked questions like what inspired him to become a bishop, where he grew up and what is his favorite part of being a bishop.