Peter John Feldsine

Peter's scholarship was originally to be a single award for students in need at St. Monica. When Anca Wilson started as principal she made the decision to have the annual Feldsine scholarship be a general class assignment for all 6th and 7th grade students to be completed in class and not at home. She did this to eliminate the potential for students in financial need to be identifed and also to do it as a class assignment so that the work was the work of the students, not their parents trying to get a scholarship. 

Overall this is great as Peter is now a permanent part of the curriculum at St. Monica, so likely to be remembered for a very long time. This year we will be looking to have two awards: one for need based and one for merit.

Following are the two essays that earned awards.

How can I benefit from a Catholic Education? 

Doctors, politicians, engineers, pilots…we can become anything we want to be because of our great Catholic education. We are very lucky to be able to have a Catholic education because a Catholic education teaches you so much more than just subjects like literature or math. It teaches those too, but it also teaches us about important values, leadership, being good role models, and helps us grow in our faith. Whether it is making posters for Student Leadership Council, saying prayer over the intercom, or taking our buddy to mass we always do activities that teach us important values that we will need in life. Knowing all the State’s Capitals is cool but knowing how to show compassion, being a good role model, learning how to help those in need and more is also so important and that is what a Catholic Education gives you.

            It teaches us how to serve our community. A lot of times people want to do community service but don’t know how or what to do. St. Monica gives us many opportunities to help make our communities better and do service work. A few kids from my class and I attended the March for Life in Olympia this year. It is a protest against abortion. I would have never done if it wasn’t for the opportunity St. Monica gave me. I also took an altar servers training course a few years ago and now I am a regular altar server. There are so many opportunities to make a change somewhere it is almost impossible not do!

            It also teaches leadership and core values. Every month there is a different value that we focus on. There is also something called Heart of Gold. The teacher awards usually about 2 students who have demonstrated that value that month. When I was little, receiving a Heart of Gold made me feel amazing and it was a big deal for me. We also have little buddies, we take them to mass and do activities with them. Another thing I recently started doing was SLC which stands for student leadership council. Once a week we do random things to help the school like making nut-free posters, helping 4^th graders set up math carnival, or helping the kindergarteners make playgrounds. St. Monica frequently challenges me and pushes me to do my best.

            Another things is it has helped me get closer to God. We have religion class where we learn all about Jesus, the Church’s history, the Old Testament and more. We go to mass every Friday. We go to confession. My relationship with God would not be the same if not for St. Monica. We are just so connected with God at this school and it has made me want to improve my relationship with God. Another thing I love about having a Catholic education is the small classes. There are only 21 people in my class and we are really close. I have known most of them since kindergarten. It is such a safe friendly environment to learn in and I have met some amazing people that I hope I stay friends with for a long time. Later in life a Catholic Education will benefit me because I will have more than just a great education, I will know values like honesty, compassion and I won’t be afraid to step up to a leadership role.

In conclusion, I am very glad I have a Catholic education because it will help me now and later in life by providing me opportunities for service, teaching core values, giving me a good education, and helping me get closer to God. I am very glad I have this education because I feel like later in life I will already know so much, educationally and also about leadership and my faith. It has really helped me improve my faith and learn about the tradition of my faith and its history. I have also learned a lot about leadership and other important values. That is why my Catholic education is so important and I am extremely lucky that I get to have it.

How can I benefit from a Catholic education?

It benefits to have a Catholic education. A daring statement I know. Many disagree with it, and that is a problem. But, I can show you that they are wrong. I go to a Catholic school, and I know. It is helping me now and it will continue. Let me show you.

Catholic education influences you to the right thing. Some have different opinions about what the right thing is, and it will stay like that. You have to think about what you do, who will be benefitted. Who will be harmed? How does that fit into Catholic education? I will tell you. Jesus did everything for the good of others. He died to save us! We should do what Jesus did. Maybe you won’t die for someone, but you can help someone.

Catholic schools can help you to be aware of things that are happening but shouldn’t be. Many people in the world are starving, they can’t get a job, and they don’t have enough money to help their children. We can help them by donating money to them. I will put my money to a good cause, I already donate much of it in to the rice bowl. I can do more when I grow up and have a job. Abortion, the killing of innocent babies. It is cruel to kill them when they have not even been born. We cannot decide if some one’s life is worth living, it is not our place. It is God’s place.

How about jobs? How can a Catholic education help us with that? Well, we can get a job that will help people, like a doctor. You could be a doctor that has low fees, so that people who really need it can come. You could make houses for the poor and homeless people. It doesn’t matter how many things you have as long as you are happy. Items only have short lasting happiness, but with God you will be happy forever.

There, you have it, it benefits to have a Catholic education. We can benefit through our whole lives. Be guided by God to do the right thing, have a good job, and be aware. We can do the right thing and have a good time doing it. God bless you.