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October 23, 2018 | The Valley Catholic
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
Santa Clara University Offers New Scholarships for Cristo Rey Students
Santa Clara University has invited
students attending Cristo Rey Network
schools across the country to apply
for one of five new Cristo Rey annual
scholarships to attend Santa Clara.
Beginning with the 2019 freshman
class, the scholarship will cover tuition,
room and board, and course-related
expenses such as books, supplies, and
equipment.
“Given the growth of the Cristo Rey
Network, the stellar quality of their stu-
dents, and alignment with Santa Clara’s
Jesuit, Catholic mission, we believe that
this is a win-win situation,” said Mike
Sexton, vice president for enrollment
management at Santa Clara.
Santa Clara University is part of a na-
tional network of Cristo Rey partners,
committed to recruiting, supporting,
and graduating economically disad-
vantaged students, many of whom are
first-generation college students and/or
students of color. The Cristo Rey high
schools provide a corporate work-study
program with real world experience
in addition to rigorous academic and
spiritual preparation.
The new scholarships are need-
based, and will be coordinated with
federal, state, local, and other SCU in-
stitutional aid to provide up to $276,000
per student over their four years.
Students interested in the scholar-
ship should apply by January 7, 2019.
Additional info is available at https://
bit.ly/2zSuIUV.
“Santa Clara offers great support
for students who are the first in their
family to pursue a college degree,”
said Eva Blanco Masias, dean of ad-
missions at Santa Clara and president
of the National Catholic College Ad-
mission Association. “These scholar-
ships will increase access to Santa
Clara for talented students across
the country. Students will graduate
debt free, allowing them to fully
participate in all curricular and co-
curricular opportunities of a highly
ranked institution, without any finan-
cial burden to their families.”
Celebrating Saint Francis of Assisi and God’s Creatures
Saint Lawrence Elementary and
Middle School was filled with a different
kind of excitement and joy on October
4, surrounded by a crowd that only
enhances the campus one very special
day each year. This special day, was
the Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi,
also known on campus as Blessing of
the Animals Day. Each student was
invited to bring their family pet, stuffed
animal or photo of their pet, to school
for the celebration. The school choir,
led by Mrs. Scott, sang with grace and
poise to Mr. Pingel’s acoustic guitar as
the school community gathered around
in preparation for the blessing. After
the joyful singing, students from Kin-
dergarten to 8 th grade lined up with the
microphone and read a passage about
Saint Francis of Assisi, in celebration of
his Feast Day. Parochial Vicar, Father
Joseph, then walked through the crowd
Saint Elizabeth Seton School
blessing the pets and students with
Holy Water. Barking, quacking, flutter-
ing and meowing raised through the
crowd, followed by laughter and joy of
the students.
Blessing of the Animals has been a
tradition of Saint Lawrence Elementary
and Middle School for as long as mem-
bers of the community can remember.
The format of pets joining the morning,
parents and community members sur-
rounding the classes with smiling faces,
celebration of song and prayer ringing
through the blacktop has stayed strong
over the years, bringing memorable
experiences to students, staff and the
community as a whole. It is with this
celebration of Saint Francis of Assisi
and his work with animals, that we are
left with the simple reminder to care for
God’s creatures as they are meant for us
to love and cherish!
Saint Martin of Tours Parish Community.
For more information
regarding Catholic
Schools in
the Diocese of San
Jose, please visit
www.dsj.org/schools.
Saint Clare School
Saint Lucy School
Holy Family School