All alumni of Blessed Sacrament School: 'Come home'

Intermountain Catholic

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Blessed Sacrament School's Boulevard of Stars both honors alumni and welcomes them home for the school's 20th anniversary reunion. IC photo by Barbara S. Lee

SANDY – There are stars in the hallway of Blessed Sacrament Elementary School in Sandy. They aren’t like the stars of the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, but each silver star suspended from the giant film cells on the ceiling mean just as much to the school as the big film stars do to Sundance. Each star represents one of the more than 300 alumni of Blessed Sacrament School who have graduated in its 20-year history.

The alumni of the school are central to the celebration of the school’s 20th anniversary, said Blessed Sacrament School Advancement Director Sonia West, walking down the school’s main hallway – its Boulevard of Stars.

"We’re holding an alumni reunion in association with this year’s graduation, and one of the school’s founders, Dominican Sister Barbara Stanek, is returning for the reunion."

Blessed Sacrament Elementary School was founded in 1987 by Msgr. Robert Servatius, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish and Dominican Sister Barbara Stanek and the late Dominican Sister Sharon Carroll.

The school was built in five phases: the first classrooms for two classes of pre-kindergarteners; then a two classrooms a year each year until the school has two classrooms for each grade through grade eight. Future plans for the school include a science room and space for aft and music education "to enhance an already worthwhile learning experience," West said.

"We’ve invited back all 300 alumni for a reunion dinner after the graduation ceremony," said West. "But we’ll be observing this anniversary all year. We’ll have a float in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade for the first time in many years, and our alumni will be invited to walk along with the float in the parade."

As part of the strategic plan for the anniversary, West said, "all alumni are being reminded they are still part of the Blessed Sacrament community – part of our family."

Alum Brandy Smith (class of 1994), of Magna is helping to contact graduates, and Alum Alicia Garcia, strategic planning head and St. Patrick Day Project chairwoman, began planning the reunion and other activities with West and other school officials last February. They’ve planned monthly activities centered on the school’s history for every month for the school’s current students. Beginning last October with a pumpkin painting contest, the students are in the process of collecting 2,000 cans of non-perishable food for the food bank at St. Therese of the Child Jesus Parish Food Bank.

"We’re revisiting our school’s commitment to St. Theresa’s." West said. "Years ago Blessed Sacrament School conducted food and clothing drives for St. Theresa’s Food Bank and Thrift Store every Wednesday. They gathered clothing and food in a giant pile once a week.

"Our food drive began in November and will continue through Lent," said West. "In December the student council collected toys and candy for the Jubilee Center, and we sent Christmas cards to every alumni we could find. We got some very positive responses from our Christmas cards."

West said January would be marked by a drive during Catholic Schools Week (Jan. 28 - Feb. 3). Students will be collecting coins for seven inner-city schools in Katrina-stricken New Orleans, La. They will also spend one day studying religious vocations, and the school’s annual Winterfest in February will also be centered on the 20th anniversary of the school. February will also find Blessed Sacrament students sending Valentines to alumni and hosting an open house at the school. The Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Project will come to fruition in March, and in April, the school will be gearing up for the graduation/reunion with historical DVDs, scrapbooks, and personal histories.

"Blessed Sacrament School will also host the Diocesan Science Fair in March," said West, who splits her time at the school between serving as Blessed Sacrament’s accountant and advancement director.

"We have just been notified that Blessed Sacrament will receive Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Grant of $1,500," she said. "We plan to create an interfaith meditation garden with Stations of the Cross."

West, who has been with the school for five years, checks her e-mail and the school’s snail mail every day for alumni responses to their contacts. The more alumni who say they will be back for the reunion the happier she gets. She said she would also like to see teachers return for the reunion. Many of the school’s teachers have been at the school since its founding," which shows remarkable dedication."

"We’re hoping for a good response from our Christmas cards, our Valentines, and our invitations, as well as from the notices we’re putting in the Intermountain Catholic, and on our web site. I know developing an alumni database is a process of cultivation that may take two or three years. We’re just setting down the roots now. But what I want to say to all our alumni is, ‘Please come back.’"

For further information about the 20th anniversary celebrations at Blessed Sacrament School call 486-3197.