Elizabeth Mason and Leah Schwartz, Ministry Leads of Marianist Encounters at Gross Catholic High School, Bellevue, NE, send us the school's MFEP achievements and plans for this academic year.
Achievements in the past two years:
Junior service project-
For the past two years, juniors have created a service project to help aid those in need in our local community.
Juniors do this as a group in the house and are expected to participate.
This year, our projects were:
McMenamy: Guiding Grace Motherhood Support Network - raise money and supplies for mothers in difficult situations.
Barrett: Veterans home- gifts for veterans and the local veterans hospital.
Willett: Birthday kits- created the kits for young kids facing homelessness or difficult home life so they can have a birthday cake and a gift.
Middleton: bags for homeless giving food and basic hygiene supplies tooth brush, socks, snacks, water, etc. distributed to local shelters.
Rooted, Flourish:
A faith-based lunch discussion group on various topics for both young men and young women.
Allows for our students to ask questions to faith experts, priests, meet with the vocations director, etc., while growing in fellowship with one another
Service opportunities provided (making dinner for Guiding Grace)
Retreat opportunities provided (day trip to the Cloisters on the Platte retreat house in Gretna, NE)
Steubenville and SEEK conferences:
An opportunity for students to deepen their faith
Steubenville usually has 40-50 students attend, and that is the capped number.
Collabs with other area archdiocesan high schools
Sent one student and one faculty member to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis
Sending 11 students on the March for Life pilgrimage
New recycling program: expanded recycling to orange energy bags
Prior to 2021, Gross Catholic did not consistently recycle.
The environmental science classes led the recycling school initiative to integrate recycling into the building. We secured a vendor to work with, purchased and created receptacles, and created and distributed recycling posters/information to the entire school, including videos shown at all school assemblies/homerooms.
Students in environmental science collect recycling once a week from classrooms and common areas throughout the school to alleviate costs and time for custodial staff.
In 2023, we expanded the recycling program to include the orange energy bags, which allow Gross to recycle soft plastics, styrofoam, and other more difficult-to-recycle materials.
We invested in receptacles, painted them orange, and updated language and information distributed school-wide.
Created a schoolwide policy for AI usage and a common language for discussing the use of AI
Provided teachers with training, posters posted in all classrooms to create awareness of expectations for students and acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI.
Sustainable spring break challenge:
Over spring break, students were asked to submit pictures of various environmental/clean challenges and were provided with information on sustainability.
Highest participation earned green and sustainable prizes.
Plans for the future:
Garden, dedicated to Mary
We would like to beautify our campus and get student involvement in care for creation, dedicating a garden of flowers to Mother Mary.
Garden project is planned to be led and implemented by the Flourish women’s group and connect to the idea of the feminine heart being a garden that is cultivated and cared for by the Lord.
Founder’s Week: drives for local organizations
Ideas:
Lydia House inner wear drive
Tech recycling
Diapers/paper products for Mater Filius or Guiding Grace
Continue to expand environmental initiatives on campus:
Review the recycling program, its effectiveness, the use of classtime in environmental science, sorting and cleanliness, and school participation
Develop a plan for improvements
Idea: incorporate recycling education into all freshmen science/religious classes to inform and teach recycling programs in the building and instill care for God’s creation.
Incorporate environmental care into our classrooms.
Science: minimize the use of disposable and single-use laboratory materials when possible, re-use materials such as plastic spoons and cups year-to-year
Art: uses recycled materials for projects and sustainable practices
Emphasis on reusable and online materials over paper for teachers—provide resources and educational opportunities for educators.
Provide resources for educators to move learning online to prevent paper waste while teaching responsible electronic device usage.
Implement a schoolwide smartphone policy to support student mental health and teach responsible device usage.
Eliminate paper programs for sporting events etc., and provide a website or QR code for information or a project on screens.
Sustainable spring break: continue and possibly expand to other breaks/throughout the year or as a house challenge.

Let us pray for the cessation of the wildfires in California and for those who have lost lives and properties. We pray for Christ's healing for all who have experienced these fires. We also pray for the firefighters and other public service workers battling the fires.
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