St. Patrick School:  Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed!
 
By Sister Mary Grace Watson, O.P.
 
For more than a century, Catholic Schools have provided quality, Christ-centered education to the children of Middle Tennessee. In fact, St. Patrick School, right here in McEwen, was the first Catholic school in the area, founded in 1856. I am honored to serve as principal at St. Patrick, continuing the tradition and mission of those who came before me. I am especially proud of our school’s heritage as last week was National Catholic Schools Week, a week when all Catholic schools in our country celebrate our history and bright future.
 
Four simple words define National Catholic Schools Week this year: Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed. They represent qualities any parent would hope to see cultivated in their child, and I am happy to say that St. Patrick is delivering on these promises every day.
 
The high caliber of academics can be clearly seen at our school, which provides a strong educational foundation in the critical developmental years in pre-K through eighth grade. Our curriculum focuses on educating the whole child while developing the soul, mind and body of each student.  St. Patrick has been accredited by AdvancEd since 2005 and strives to achieve high ratings in all the standards of accreditation. 
 
Service to others is a vital component of a Catholic education, as important as anything we teach. It is so important that we have even developed a middle school program called the Four Pillars where every Friday afternoon, our students meet with the middle school teachers to focus on one of Four Pillars:  Study, Community, Service, and Prayer.  Throughout the year, our students have the opportunity to participate in many service projects that benefit our community including donating pennies to the Humphreys County Christmas Assistance Program, participating in our St. Vincent DePaul outreach projects and visiting our area nursing homes.    
 
Today, with our small class sizes, St. Patrick offers students many opportunities to lead in the classroom, on the playing field, or in other extracurricular activities such as National Honor Society, Guitar Guild, STEM Club, 4-H Club and Drama Club. Additionally, our 7th and 8th graders attend a Leadership Workshop Day each year to help develop their skills as role models in our school.  And the support we see from the community, whether during the historic Irish Picnic or in the comments we hear around this area, affirms that mission. 
 
Our commitment to the tight-knit, community culture you’ll find at St. Patrick’s leads directly to the ultimate goal: success. Students leave our schools confident in who they are and their greater purpose in life, well-prepared academically and spiritually for whatever lies ahead.
 
So much has changed in last 163 years, but two of the things that have remained the same are the quality of education provided at St. Patrick and the strength of this entire community.  We are so grateful to all who have contributed over the years to make St. Patrick’s what it is today.  If you are interested in learning more about what St. Patrick’s can offer your family, please call the office!  We would love to meet you.  Please join us in celebrating our school, our administration, our teachers, and our families on their service to Humphreys County children and community.
 
Sister Mary Grace Watson, O.P., has served as principal of St. Patrick for four and a half years, leading the school’s recent growth in enrollment.
 
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