A Letter from Assistant Principal Kara DiCarlo

Alleluia!

Several years ago, when my family and I were living in St. Louis, as we entered our parish for Easter Mass, I overheard one of my daughter’s closest friends and classmates say excitedly, “We get to say Alleluia!” It’s funny the memories we keep. This innocent and simple statement demonstrated the significance of the day. 

As we continue the Easter celebration and wrap up the 2024-2025 school year, it is easy to get caught up in the fast-paced days. I find this particularly true for me as one of my Administrative goals is to organize graduation. Additionally this year I have a Senior who will be graduating. I am grateful for the times I am able to reflect and recognize all the “Alleluia's” in life, and I’d like to take this opportunity to share some of them with you.

Alleluia for the Saint Thomas Aquinas students. They work hard. They make the school come alive. They walk in the doors each day and are held to an expectation of excellence. This is displayed in many ways - sometimes big, like when a student earns a full-ride scholarship, and sometimes small, like when an academic counselor works to help a student who has had to be out for medical reasons make the end-of-year deadlines. The students travel winding roads throughout their years at Aquinas- tough lessons are learned at times, but overall, connections, goodness, and friendships permeate our hallways. 

Alleluia for the Saint Thomas Aquinas Faculty. Each day, our faculty at Aquinas is working hard in the various roles they play. Just yesterday, we celebrated and showed our appreciation for our Administrative Assistants who help us keep the ship going in the right direction. Soon it will be Teacher Appreciation and we hope we can all work together to honor them (details to come😉). Aquinas is blessed to be guided by the Holy Spirit each day. 

Alleluia for Rosemary Maher. Rosemary Maher's efforts and dedication in helping and serving women with unplanned pregnancies will be on display this Sunday at the annual Rosemary Maher Saints Walk for Life. The fruits of her work (and others) are quite often unknown, but knowing that compassion and support help navigate through challenging times gives others the desire to help in ways they are able. 

Alleluia for the activities and athletics at Saint Thomas Aquinas. If you have had the opportunity to peek into the Director of Student Life, Ken Fox’s office, you will see a whiteboard with a color-coded listing of all the activities and athletics at Aquinas. The months of April and May are no joke. It is easy to be overwhelmed by looking at it, but when you focus on just one of those activities, the stories and experiences imprint valuable memories. One example this past week was the 11 innings of baseball played on Tuesday. Ask anyone who was there, and it will be a treat for you to hear. 

Alleluia for the community at Saint Thomas Aquinas. This afternoon, our school community will participate in one of the beloved annual traditional activities- Spring Olympics. It's a time to let loose, be silly, show class spirit, and also allow the competitive vibes to play out. Seniors, for the sake of us all, please win! Our community participates in many activities throughout the year, and it will be on full display today at the Spring Olympics. 

Alleluia for our Catholic Faith. We are so fortunate to be in a school where forgiveness, grace, and love drive our mission. We are not perfect. We all need to continue to learn and grow. But we can have peace knowing that our foundation is in the right place. And our prayers are constant. This week, Fr. Colm educated many of us on what happens now that Pope Francis has passed away. There have been additional prayers daily for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis, and teachers have conducted classes that have allowed our students to practice the social teachings that Pope Francis cared so deeply about. 

So, back to the simple and innocent statement I started this letter with. “We get to say Alleluia today.” I pray that each day we can continue to say "Alleluia", that we take the time to reflect on all that God has given us, and that we can share this goodness with others. I ask that you continue to pray for me, and please know that you are in my prayers.

Yours in Christ,

Kara DiCarlo