January 26, 2017
AUGUSTA---Students at St. Michael School in Augusta are engaged in a new hobby in advance of Catholic Schools Week (Jan. 29-Feb. 4): hunting for aluminum can tabs. 
“One of the main components of Catholic schools and Catholic Schools Week is service,” said Kevin Cullen, principal of St. Michael. “Students will pull off aluminum tabs from soda cans, tennis ball containers, and food cans and place them in containers around the school. Maine Metal Recycling in Auburn will weigh the tabs, pay the current rate for aluminum, and send the money to the Ronald McDonald Houses located in Bangor and Portland.”
Ronald McDonald Houses provide housing for families who have a child being treated at a local hospital. Since 1983, the Ronald McDonald Houses in Maine have comforted and cared for over 12,000 sick children and their families.
“As soon as our students learned about what this program does and how many families it helps, they embraced the opportunity to help make a difference,” said Cullen.
On Friday, February 3, at 1:45 p.m., the school will welcome a representative from Ronald McDonald Houses for a schoolwide assembly to present the program with its collection.
Catholic Schools Week celebrates the mission of Catholic Schools: to evangelize students by nourishing faith and encouraging academic excellence while accentuating the importance of community and service in a nurturing environment.
 
In addition to the service projects, exciting schoolwide events are planned for St. Michael during Catholic Schools Week, including a kickoff celebration Mass at St. Mary Church in Augusta on Sunday, January 29, at 9:30 a.m.; clothing theme days like “Dream Job Day” when students will dress as their dream job; grandparents’ day on Tuesday, January 31; an appreciation breakfast for teachers and staff on Friday, February 3; and many other fun activities for the students.
 
For a look at activities and projects taking place at other Catholic schools in Maine during Catholic Schools Week, visit www.portlanddiocese.org/CSW2017. Media members are encouraged to cover the Maine Catholic Schools Week events at St. Michael. For more information, contact Dave Guthro, Communications Director for the Diocese of Portland, at (207) 321-7810 or at [email protected].