Lincoln, Neb., Apr 30, 2011 / 11:09 am
Cathedral of the Risen Christ grade school in Lincoln, Neb. started a new program for students in grades 6-8 last fall: the abbey program.
Students were divided into seven different groups, or abbeys, with a like number from each grade in each abbey. Each abbey was named after a saint or very important person to the Catholic Faith: St. John Bosco, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Padre Pio, St. Therese of Lisieux, Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II. Each abbey has a teacher as sponsor.
With the students divided into the abbeys, throughout the year the school has had various games and contests between them, awarding points for each activity. Points are awarded to abbeys whose members were on the honor roll, who were deemed excellent in their behavior, or who scored very well on specific tests. A scoreboard is posted in the school’s west hallway to let the students know how their abbey is doing.
Principal Tony Primavera said the purpose of the concept was two-fold.