It is hard to believe the 1st quarter is already over and we are 2 weeks away from the Thanksgiving Break. The school year is off to a great start and there is A LOT to report. During the past month, we have had 2 Open Houses, and the numbers are fantastic. In the first SRA Open House we had more than 160 perspective 9th graders and in the 2nd Open House more than 250 people attended the event. These student numbers are the highest I have seen during my 14 years at SRA!
This has also been an amazing Fall campaign athletically for our student-athletes. Every SRA Fall sports team (boys and girls) made it to the Rhode Island postseason. The SRA Girls Soccer Team and the Girls Tennis Team both won the state championship; with the girls’ soccer team accomplishing a repeat! Our Cheerleading Team garnered 2nd in their division and 3rd in the entire state (ahead of their arch-rival from LSA). Finally, our top girl harrier finished as the state runner-up in the RI State Cross Country championship, she will have a chance to win next year when she returns as a senior.
The Academy is also growing on Walcott Street. In the next few months, Saint Raphael Academy will be adding Saint Joseph’s Church as one of our buildings. The church will still be owned by the Diocese of Providence, but we will have complete access to the building and pay for heating and electricity (nothing is ever totally free). Very Exciting!!! Additionally, the school has begun the dialogue with the Diocese of Providence about opening a middle school on Walcott Street. This is currently in the assessment phase, but we are hoping that Bishop Lewondowsky may grant our request for a middle school; more information to follow.
Finally, our students are spreading their wings to interesting and entertaining places. A month ago, SRA began a student exchange program with a fellow Lasallian high school located in Barcelona, Spain. During the past 4 weeks we housed and educated 2 students from Spain, several days ago the 2 Spaniards returned to Barcelona with 2 Saints accompanying them. We have heard wonderful feedback from our 2 juniors in Spain! In April, 35 SRA students and 15 adults and chaperones will be spending their Spring Break in Paris, France, Switzerland, and Germany. It should be an awesome adventure, and I know all the travelers are looking forward to this once in a lifetime trip!
I just want to end my comments by thanking the Class of 1960 for setting “the bar so high”. You are an amazing group of Saints; you are wonderful standards bearers for our current students to emulate!
If the Thanksgiving holiday moves you to contribute, please click here: Contribute to Saints
In Peace,
Dan
