Students at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy in Gravesend are taking mission Monday to heart. The lower grades made Valentine’s Day cards for seniors in the Waterford on the Bay nursing home and the upper grades made care packages full of necessities for homeless and those in need. The day was organized by the student council who raised money to get the supplies.

“The mission of the church to serve those on the margins was so clearly a part of that project,” said Father Joseph Gibino, vicar for evangelization and catechesis in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

“During Catholic Schools Week, it’s our job to give back and that’s what student council is,” said eighth grader Maria Bavaro, the president of the student council. “It’s what being in Catholic school is a part of and it’s truly our please giving back being a Catholic.”

“This is a perfect way of showing we are a family,” said teacher, Stephanie Campanella who coordinated the school’s Catholic Schools Week activities. “Whether you’re in this building or outside, we want to help as many people as possible.”

The students made 100 care packages, they’ll be distributed in Coney Island by Our Lady of Grace’s meal ministry on Wednesday.

By Jessica Easthope

Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin and Deo Reyes – you might not know that last one yet – but Deo hopes one day his name will be said among the greats.

“I think this is the best invention I’ve made so far so it was a really big accomplishment for me,” he said.”

But for now, he’s a seventh grader at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Academy and he’s showing off his latest invention the “spinge.”

“I was always trying to clean the inside of bottles and containers and I thought for the invention convention why don’t I make something that can help me solve this problem,” said Deo.

The “spinge” is one of more than 120 useful inventions made by the fourth through eighth grade students as a part of Catholic Schools Week.

“To see them so enthusiastic doing something like this as an educator it brings so much joy to my heart, learning has to be fun, learning has to be hands on, it has to be reality, so if they can’t take what they’re learning and bring it into their everyday world what good is it,” said principal Francis Serpico.

Mr. Serpico used to be the school’s science teacher. STEM, which is science, technology, engineering and math, is a diocese wide priority. According to the super intendent’s office, every single diocese school offers some kind of specialized STEM program or extracurricular activity.

“STEM is worked into Catholic education because it really incorporates everything, the science, the math, the English, art, religion because of our Catholic identity, it brings the idea that all of the academics are put into one thought when you’re creating a project like this,” Serpico said.

The students have been working on their projects since December. Some are the kind of thing you can’t believe you didn’t think of first, like 5th grader Khloe Chavez’s invention the “tornado” an upgrade on an umbrella.

“It was a smart invention, when it’s raining you have it to cover your head but your clothes get wet so I thought if you put the plastic around it your clothes would stay more dryer,” said Khloe.

The inventions were judged and there were five winners from each grade, those top students were presented a certificate in front of the entire school and their parents.