By Candy Czernicki of the Catholic Herald Staff

PEWAUKEE — About 30 parents, students and administrators attended a regional high school information night at St. Anthony School, Pewaukee, on Thursday, Sept. 23.

The gathering, one of six to be held throughout the archdiocese, brought together area high schools Divine Savior Holy Angels, Pius XI and Thomas More, Milwaukee; Catholic Memorial, Waukesha; and St. Lawrence Seminary, Mt. Calvary.

Archdiocesan spokesperson Kathleen Hohl said parental information was the primary purpose of the gatherings.

“Typically, high schools will make visits to the elementary schools to talk with middle school students about their specific high school,” Hohl said. “Research has shown that other than a high school open house, which each high school hosts, there weren’t opportunities for parents to find out in general about Catholic secondary education.”

Patty Galante, a St. Anthony, Pewaukee parishioner with two daughters in Catholic schools, including one at St. Anthony, said she and her husband chose a Catholic education for their children because of the strong academic and spiritual standards the schools have.

“Through Catholic education, (her children’s) faith in God has deepened considerably,” Galante said. “God guides them daily. Catholic schools push them constantly to excel but give the support and nurturing they need to succeed. A Catholic education has instilled values of honesty, respect, and the importance of family and faith.”

Capuchin Franciscan Br. Bob Smith, archdiocesan director of educational and formational services, spoke of the day’s Gospel reading where Herod, who had heard of Jesus’ teaching and ministry, tried to find out who Jesus was.

“That curiosity and inquisitiveness — dealing with someone powerful, who could be a threat (to that power) — that has everything to do with Catholic schools,” Br. Smith said. “Catholic schools and Catholic high schools are going to be places where kids, like Herod, are challenged.”

Br. Smith noted Catholic schools teach critical thinking skills and a sense of morality.

“It’s not enough to get on the Internet and get a term paper on any subject from A to Z,” he said. “In Catholic schools we teach about morality and values. We teach about right and wrong. It’s wrong to plagiarize, wrong to cheat, wrong to lie, wrong to be disrespectful, wrong to be racist, or sexist, or classist. That’s the difference between religious schools and public schools. When you walk in the door of a Catholic school, you see God and religion everywhere. The athletic programs are about more than just winning, but about how to treat your opponents. It’s a much bigger picture.”

Catholic Memorial High School students Nick Inzeo and Megan Cecka, part of the school’s student ambassadors program, helped staff their school’s information table. The ambassadors program sends students out to speak at grade schools and to other groups, promoting a Catholic Memorial education.

Inzeo said he chose Catholic Memorial because of his involvement in drama — the school has the most decorated drama department in the state. “But the community atmosphere is nice,” Inzeo said. “It’s not too big, not too small, just a close-knit group of kids very open to accepting people.”

Both Inzeo and Cecka said they appreciated the frequent prayer services for issues such as homeless awareness and pro-life activities.

“My parents wanted me to have a religious background,” Cecka said. “I visited a lot of places and felt I could get that (at Catholic Memorial). “It’s well-known for its education. I love my classes, my teachers, everything.”

For more information on each of the 13 Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, visit this link.

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