A New Family

Evidence that we truly are family at St. Gabriels: if you missed it, kindergarten teacher Ellen Yurko and Art Mika exchanged wedding vows at the school mass this morning in the school gym. Assembled as witnesses for the beaming bride and groom were all of St. Gabriels' students and faculty, as well as many parents. The kindergartners were the flower children in the processional, each carrying one peach colored rose to assemble at the alter in two massive bouquets. "It was as beautiful as any wedding I've ever seen," said one guest. In the receiving line after the wedding, Ellen exclaimed, "It was perfect. It was exactly what I wanted!" The happy couple will honeymoon in Mexico. Best wishes and many thanks to Ellen and Art for sharing their special day with us.

Jean Rodgers Doesn't Miss Her Locks

In fact she looks adorable with her short bobbed hair. She recently donated her hair to Locks of Love, the organization that provides hair prosthetics to disadvantaged children who've lost their hair as a result of a medical diagnosis. After a non carcinogenic melanoma on her skin (who knew sunbathing with baby oil was a dangerous habit 20 years ago?), Jean easily decided to have her hair cut because it was "just something I could do". Her hair stylist, who lost his wife from cancer, cut and styled a terrific do in return. Jean says she's seen a lot of the young girls do it. Now maybe she'll start a trend among the women!

Jewelry Business Owner Plans Trip and Gift

St. Gabriels fourth grader Alexandra Reid, together with her cousins Josh and Samantha, started making jewelry last summer with the idea of giving a portion of the proceeds to Safe Passage in Guatemala. The kids heard about this organization at school and decided they would like to support it and eventually visit Guatemala themselves. They will kick off their new jewelry business "Friends Forever" this weekend at the Lakeway indoor garage sale. If you're in the area, stop by and support these three friends and their dream of someday meeting their forever friends in Guatemala. These kids are truly an inspiration!

Gifts in Heaven

Fourth grade teacher Jennifer Lyssy told me about a sweet girl in her class named Audrey Abbott. Audrey celebrated her birthday this month, but she didn't want any presents from her friends at school. Instead she told her classmates to please make a donation to the prayer garden for a gift for a Roxanne Nicks, a parent who tragically died in a car accident last December. During a time of mourning and healing Audrey gifts us with her faith and generosity.

Valentines for Sudan

The seventh and eighth graders' Valentine Dance is enjoyed this year by many who do not even go to St. Gabriels. The collection at the door this time benefited an organization called Harvesters, a Christian orphanage situated in one of the harshest countries in Africa. The people there meet the ongoing crisis in Sudan with love, faith, education and Christian service. Our kids chose this charity to be the recipients of school supplies and donations of money to purchase calendars, flash cards, and other materials needed by the Harvesters' school. Thanks to the middle school kids for their generosity. We can all help the Harvesters right now if we choose to get involved: their website's first request is for prayers.

National Honors Society Leads Through Service

The first Thursday of each month is volunteer day for our National Honors students in middle school. A rotating team of four NHS members from St. Gabriels go to Caritas and make sandwiches for the soup kitchen. In addition to their ongoing participation in Caritas' work, the kids have also held "penny wars" in order to contribute to the research and medical treatment provided by St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Their leadership is indeed evident by their community outreach.