St. Casimir’s School will host a 2016-17 Student Registration Night at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 23, in Father Mikolai Hall at St. Casimir’s Catholic School.

According to a press release, all families with school-aged children are encouraged to attend to learn more about what SCS can offer your family and the financial assistance programs that may be available.

In 1881, there were approximately 25 Catholic families in the Wells area. They were predominantly of Polish descent and first met in homes to celebrate Mass. In 1885, Thomas Yokiel, a pioneer parishioner, visited Archbishop Ireland to obtain permission to begin a parish.  When permission was granted, St. Casimir Parish began with a few scattered families. As the parish grew following the dedication of the first church in 1900, a growing need for Catholic education for its youngest members soon became a priority.  With the construction of St. Casimir’s School in 1915, the first of what would become thousands of children received the gift of local, quality Catholic education. One hundred one years later, that gift continues within the classrooms of the same stately building.

With the childhood years serving as a critical time in the formation of faith, choosing a school is one of the most important decisions a family can make, according to a press release. As the only source of parochial education in Faribault County, St. Casimir’s stands as a unique, faith-centered community that exists to support parents as the first educators of their children.  With its foundation firmly rooted in Christ and the Catholic faith, the school builds upon those teachings by adding a very strong academic program.  In fact, when calculating the high school graduation results for SCS alumnus for the past five years, 77 percent of these students received honors recognition and 56 percent also received high honors. Rounding out the core subjects, SCS offers a wide-range of quality programs including computer technology, classroom and liturgical music, concert band, Spanish and daily physical education.

In order to continue to meet the desires and needs of the community, SCS implemented two new programs for the current school year—a licensed pre-kindergarten program and Kid Zone, an extended day child care program.

“Our early childhood program, which includes the sections of Little Saints and Little Angels emphasizes the development of the whole child through active learning situations,” said Cherlelynn Bednar, early childhood coordinator.  “We strive for a balanced, nurturing, caring developmental approach to education for children who are three to five years old.”

Bednar also serves as the coordinator and teacher for Kid Zone which is intended to serve as an educational and recreational program for students who require supervision before and after the regular school day hours as well as on non-school week days. The program is open to all area students who are 4 years or older through sixth grade. Daily activities in Kid Zone may include homework help, arts and crafts, quiet time, story time and gym or outside play time.

With the addition of these programs to the existing kindergarten through grade six class offerings, several options exist which enable parents to take advantage of the possibility of work-day-long child supervision.

“With today’s busy families, we are happy to offer the Early Childhood and Kid Zone programs which have been blessings to our school families as well as to families outside of St. Casimir’s,” Principal Joanne Tibodeau said.

Within the small rural community, many families can boast of generations of students attending SCS.  This year there are families that are sending their third and fourth generation to St. Casimir’s.  However, you don’t need to come from a long line of Catholic education to attend SCS.

“It’s wonderful to see new families choosing our school for their children,” said Linda Raimann, SCS alumnus and long-time SCS teacher. “In the last few years, many first-time parents with no previous connection to St. Casimir’s have chosen our school for their child’s education.”

St. Casimir’s School remains a resource for families seeking quality, faith-based education for their children.