By: NICOLAS FIERRO
Salina Post
The Catholic Diocese of Salina and its schools celebrated National Catholic Schools Week (NCSW), an annual U.S. celebration recognizing the faith, academics and community value of Catholic education.
Sacred Heart Junior-Senior High School, St. Mary's Grade School and Love N' Learn Early Childhood Center are the three education institutions in Salina that came together to celebrate NCSW.
NCSW is typically celebrated on the last week of January across schools in the U.S. and Salina Catholic Schools celebrated from Jan. 25 - Jan. 30 for the 2026 year, since its inception on 1974.
The week is filled with learning activities, community services, fellowship, gatherings, projects, performances, guest speakers and so much more fun-filled events for the students, teachers and staff.
Each day throughout the week, a theme would occur for the Salina schools to participate in.
For example, Tuesday was "Camo Day, We are Soldiers in Christ" which was centered on community service and Wednesday was "Backwards Day, We are Called to be Different," signifying students to step out of their comfort zone.
"Joy in serving others"
One of the biggest aspects NCSW does for the students is to allow them to find a joy in serving others and giving back to the community.
"The students learn that life is not about them and they learn the joy in serving others, while working hard," said St. Mary's Grade School Principal, Tym Bonilla.
St. Mary's Grade School students during "Camo Day" listened to presentations from various local organizations, with one of them being Catholic Charities of Northern Kansas. The students during the presentation were engaged, with a questions/answer time at the end of the session.
The students also donated food items, clothes and other necessities to the organization.
"God is providing," said Megan Augustine, Development & Parish Relations Manager of Catholic Charities.
Sacred Heart Principal, John Krajicek stated NCSW was a great week as students learned what it means genuinely serve others.
"We want to emphasize the mission of service to others for the students, while they enjoy doing that," said Krajicek. "The kids did a great job and they greatest thing is that they learned alot."
The Sacred Heart Junior-Senior High School students also collected and donated essentials to local organizations such as DVACK, nursing homes, Salina Rescue Mission and much more. The students from Sacred Heart and St. Mary's also came together to serve others in the community.
"It is great to see kids from all grades come together, as even the young kids look up to the older kids. I am proud of our upperclassmen mentoring these students," said Krajicek.
Preschoolers participating in the fun
Children ages birth to 5 attend Love N' Learn Early Childhood Center and this is the second year, the Love N' Learn has participated in NCSW.
The children participated in various activities such as a scavenger hunt, where they would find and check off the box on items involved within St. Mary's Queen of the Universe Catholic Church, prayer stations with Sacred Heart students, singing Bible songs, complete art projects with St. Mary's students and much more.
Positive comments, experiences and feedback after NCSW
"The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive," said Superintendent of Schools for Catholic Diocese of Salina, Geoff Andrews.
Andrews commented on the experiences and feedback he has received from teachers, staff, parents and students.
"Teachers and staff have shared how encouraged they felt by the appreciation shown for their work and vocation. Parents have expressed gratitude for schools that not only educate their children academically but also help form them morally and spiritually, and get them involved in acts of service across the Salina community. Students, of course, loved the celebrations and activities, but many also articulated pride in their schools and a deeper understanding of what makes Catholic education unique. That sense of belonging and shared mission came through clearly."
He stated after NCSW, there are positive ripple effects within the students.
"There’s often a noticeable boost in student morale, school pride, and engagement following the week. When students feel known, celebrated, and connected to a larger purpose, that environment naturally supports learning. Over time, those cultural elements—strong relationships, shared values, and high expectations are what contribute to sustained academic and personal growth."
Students during many activities showed boost in personal growth and engagement, especially throughout the "Living Wax Museum" activity at St. Mary's Grade School. Students would portray and present the life of a renowned Kansas historical figure of their choice.
The students started the project in November 2025 and memorized a 1-2 minute biography of the person. They would hold their hand out with a sticker on the back of it, as passersby would press on the sticker and the students would start speaking, acting as the historical figure.
One student who chose Henry J. Allen, shared that he was highly interested in the fact he was a Governor of Kansas from 1919-1923. Many in attendance were impressed of the memorized account the students would share.
"Too many to count" said a student on how many times they studied the conducted speech of the historical figure.
"Students celebrated their God-given talents of creativity, research skills and the ability to speak in front of people," said Bonilla.
Adaptable and looking forward to next year's NCSW
Despite the winter weather knocking off two days of NCSW in Salina this year, the institutions adapted and still put together a successful week.
"Even with a few weather-related curveballs, the spirit of celebration, gratitude, and mission was very strong across our schools," said Andrews. "Like most things in Catholic education, it came down to flexibility, collaboration, and a lot of goodwill. Our school leaders and staff were incredibly adaptable, adjusting schedules and events while keeping student safety at the forefront. More importantly, the heart of Catholic Schools Week isn’t dependent on perfect conditions, whether it was a Mass, a classroom activity, or a simple moment of prayer and gratitude, our schools found meaningful ways to celebrate even when plans had to change."
Every year, schools set up different themes for each day during NCSW as institutions look forward to next January.
Bonilla stated that every year is "unique" and one addition that was new this year, was the interactions students from both Sacred Heart and St. Mary's had with Love N' Learn.
For more information about National Catholic Schools Week, go here.
For more information about the Catholic Diocese of Salina, go here.