It has been almost four months now that I have been the principal at St. Jude Regional Catholic School, and I am still blown away by the commitment of this community.
Many think of a community as nothing more than the neighborhood they live in, but in the last few months I have witnessed so much more.
St. Jude is located just off Veirs Mill Road [in Aspen Hill], in a quiet neighborhood surrounded by family homes filled with families young and old. The school itself has been a binding part of that neighborhood for the last 55 years, and continues to be the center of the community today.
Since August when the children returned, St. Jude has taken the stance that we should give back to the community that has supported us for so long. With the help of our parents we coordinated a community ice cream social at Rita’s on Georgia Avenue in Aspen Hill. We gathered as a community of family, friends, alumni, parents, teachers, along with all of those who just stopped by. Together St. Jude Regional Catholic School and Rita’s of Aspen Hill profited not only monetarily, but by gathering we grew stronger.
We continued our efforts in the community by asking our families to donate baby items to St. Ann’s Infant [and Maternity] Home. Together we collected diapers, wipes, pacifiers, bottles, clothes, along with other needed items, which will benefit the home and its occupants.
And most recently I had the opportunity to take our efforts to the D.C. metropolitan area as St. Jude families, with the help of Mix 107.3, made cards for the sick children and raised over $1,100 to benefit the National Children’s Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
It has crossed my mind that I ask too much of my families, yet it is our mission to educate the children. I believe that the books are only part of the equation; our faith teaches us to serve others. Our community has given so much to St. Jude as we celebrate our 55 year as a private Catholic school, it is imperative that we remember our community and how important it is to us. A school is just a building without the children and devoted educators to fill it, and a community is just a group of people without those willing to bridge the gaps and create new relationships.
We are St. Jude Regional Catholic School and we are part of an amazing community that will continue to impact young and for years to come.
Glenn Benjamin is the principal at St. Jude Regional Catholic School in Aspen Hill. He assumed his role July 1. St. Jude is supported by the parishes of Shrine of St. Jude, St. Francis of Assisi in Derwood and Our Lady Queen of the Americas in Northwest Washington, D.C. The school offers classes for students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. St. Jude is located 4820 Walbridge St. and can be reached at 301-946-7888 or MainOffice@StJudeRockville.
Glenn Benjamin is a volunteer contributor to The Gazette. This is his second column; he first wrote in September about the first day of school as a new principal.
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