Gorke Family

"Our kids were enrolled in pre-K at another Catholic school when we first visited SVMS. I'll never forget, SVMS was so warm and bright as we first walked the halls and we were really impressed with the middle schoolers giving our tour. They were so poised and eloquent and we really wanted to choose a school that would foster that in our girls. My oldest is in high school by now, but looking back, we can definitely see how SVMS did that, and then some. What we didn't anticipate when we enrolled at SVMS was that we would make some of our best friends from within the parent community there. It's been a wonderful place for all of us. 

As you would expect, the transition to a new school took some time. Our older daughter's teachers showed so much patience and encouragement and gave her tools to work through challenges and set her up for success. And each new year (and new teacher) helped her build on the momentum she'd gained the year before. Fast forward to middle school and not only was she just as confident and well-spoken as those middle schoolers who had impressed us years before, she was thriving. She transitioned to high school really smoothly, and she left SVMS armed with a skillset and maturity that her middle school teachers helped her build. We're so grateful for the foundation that SVMS gave her.

Something we really learned to love and embrace early on in our girls' time at SVMS is how giving and service are embedded weekly. There are so many meaningful ways our kids have learned about empathy and sharing because of the school. One of our favorite projects was the Christmas boxes. We were given a shoebox and the age of a child to shop for as the holiday season approached. We took the kids to Target and let them handpick items--some essentials, some luxuries, some toys--to fill the boxes that would be shipped overseas to children living in impoverished neighborhoods. It was such a tangible and beautiful way for them to learn about the needs of others and the world we all share.

Do something kind for someone today.' This is something that is said often at SVMS. Kindness is a big thing for us. Every morning, Sr. Noreen comes over the loudspeaker. She will make morning announcements and a reading will be read by one of the middle school students. After this prayer, Sr. Noreen tells us the meaning of this reading. She will explain the story and its significance. She always ends off with the bigger message – which is similar every day – that kindness is most important in our lives. She teaches us that one small act of kindness might not change the world for everyone, but it will change the world for the person that you were kind to. We aren’t only taught math, science, and social studies at St. Vincent Martyr School. We are taught so much more. Especially the importance of kindness.

- The Gorke Family
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