THE LITTLEST LEARNERS brought a special person with them to school while the upper graders had the chance to learn from professionals in specialized fields.
BRIAN BERKENKOTTER, PART OF SPACEX’S TRAINING TEAM, SPEAKS TO A CLASS OF EIGHTH GRADERS DURING ST. HEDWIG CATHOLIC SCHOOL’S SPECIAL PERSONS DAY AND CAREER DAY. PHOTO BY SCOTT SMELTZER/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
St. Hedwig Catholic School hosted its Special Person’s Day for TK- through fourth-grade students and Career Day for fifth- through eighth-grade students on Jan. 23 at the Los Alamitos campus.
The event was part of St. Hedwig’s Catholic Schools Week celebration, which is a national event to honor and recognize the power of Catholic education. The Special Person’s Day was a chance for each student to bring a loved one — such as a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle or family friend — into the classroom to showcase their learning. The children and their special person spent the morning in their classrooms doing a craft or activity before attending a student-led prayer service.
The service featured singing, readings of student letters and poems and a chance to share why their person was special to them.
“Special Person’s Day was great,” commented fourth-grade teacher Emily Vaught. “The kids were very excited to have their special person come to their classroom, do something with them and then pray with them at the prayer service. It’s a really nice way for the kids to show their love and appreciation for someone special in their life.”
Principal Chris McGuiness said the highlight “was having several students present their special person and why they invited them. Hearing how grandparents and parents have been instrumental to their young lives was inspiring.”
Students went up in front of their community and shared how their grandmother teaches them to make cookies or how their mom is the most beautiful person in the world. The students’ stories showed how important it is for all young people to have adults they can look up to, McGuiness said.
“It is also a reminder to all of us that the little eyes are always watching us, and the trust they put in us to take care of them, even in the simplest ways, is making a difference,” he added. “As parents, educators and grandparents, we have an amazing responsibility to ensure that we support and nurture these little ones along the way. The influences we have on them are lasting.”
The older students spent Career Day hearing from 10 speakers: a space operations specialist, superior court judge, RN/nurse educator, acoustics engineer, Long Beach city councilwoman, airport operations specialist, special education teacher, retired NBA player, video game developer and branding founder.
“Career Day has been a long tradition at St. Hedwig school,” said Mai Marquez, who teaches middle school math. “We invite parents and members of the community to share their profession with our middle schoolers, and their presentations highlight both their personal and professional experiences. It is an opportunity for students to learn about a variety of careers and backgrounds and the dedication and hard work it takes to be successful.”
The speakers were all volunteers who offered to give their time. They gave a presentation and answered student inquiries.
“The students were riveted by the presentations and asked many insightful questions,” Marquez said. “The day is a favorite among our students, and we look forward to inviting more individuals in the future.”