NEW ULM — Cathedral High School (CHS) – which turned 100 years old last fall – is looking to the future with technology and curriculum updates.

At St. Antony Elementary, staff is focused, among other things, on a new science program and better utilization of Google Classroom tools to individualize instruction.

Systemwide, New Ulm Area Catholic Schools (NUACS) are implementing a new 1:1 Chromebook program for all students in grades K-12.

1:1 Chromebooks,

tech assistants

CHS has successfully adopted a 1:1 Chromebook plan for this year, and the school looks forward to additional technology updates in the future, says Principal Paul Hazuka.

The school created a Tech Team Help Desk in the library where tech assistants (CHS students) will get the “request” for help with a computer or Chromebook or other technology problems. Then the tech assistants get in touch with that person and see if they can help resolve the problem. The tech assistants have been into many different classrooms and experienced working with others as well as solving technical issues.

Entrepreneurship/

Marketing

CHS is offering a new course this spring semester called Entrepreneurship and Marketing. CHS welcomed Sara Wilfahrt to the staff as the teacher of this new course. Wilfahrt is a Sales and Marketing professional with over 10 years of experience in marketing, event planning, idea development, and program management. She is also an adjunct faculty member in the Marketing Department at South Central College.

Robotics success

Three CHS robotics teams qualified for the Vex Robotics state championship. They qualified for the state tournament by competing in the skills competition offered at each of their tournaments. Each team competed at the Minnesota VEX State Championship at St. Cloud’s River’s Edge Convention Center on January 30-31.

Centennial celebration

The 100-year celebration of Cathedral High School was held on September 21, 2019. Alumni, family, and friends celebrated the past, present and future of the Catholic high school. The event included memorabilia displays, tours, food stands, and family activities. A sit-down dinner was held in the high school gym, and the Johnny Holm Band held an evening concert and street dance. A commemorative photo book in honor of the school’s centennial was printed, and is still available at the school. A brief history is included in the book, along with photos and graduating classes from 1919 to 2019.

Adopt a Family and Support our Troops

The CHS Student Council led successful drives to raise money and shop for needy families in the area as well as make purchases for our troops abroad.

Pro-Life Rally

CHS juniors and seniors went to the St. Paul Cathedral and the MN State Capitol to support the Pro-Life Rally in St. Paul on January 22, 2020. A prayer service was held at the Cathedral and then the students made their way over to the Capitol to hear speeches from legislators and pro-life leaders.

St. Anthony Elementary

“The students at St. Anthony Elementary School have half of their school year ahead of them,” said Principal Shelly Bauer. “This has been an exciting year so far with the staff challenging the students to leave their comfort zones each day, especially with the use of technology. The students use computer applications to enhance their own individualized learning.”

Curriculum updates at St. Anthony

A new K-12 science program was implemented this year. The program includes many student-centered, inquiry-based activities and hands-on learning opportunities.

A new STREAM (science, technology, religion, engineering, art, and math) Lab was developed in the former computer lab space. The students have many opportunities to enjoy this new space where they can develop their creative and imaginative spirit while finding solutions to engineering or everyday problems, states Bauer.

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) sets have been added for students to experience virtual labs, experience real-world engineering marvels, travel the globe, hold a heart in their hands, experience other cultures, and anything you can imagine – right in the classroom.

Technology updates

Bringing new technology into the classroom promotes 21st-century learning skills, says Bauer.

“NUACS is very excited to implement its new 1:1 Chromebook program this year for all students in grades K-12,” says Bauer.

Staff members have been attending training sessions throughout the year to gain skills with the implementation of Google Classroom and other applications to enhance and promote individualized learning for our students.

Students are receiving instruction on using the functions of Google applications as another resource to better meet their individual learning needs.

NewsHounds

Broadcasting Club

The St. Anthony Elementary School NewsHounds club was created last school year and continues to grow, recalls Bauer. This student-run club broadcasts our daily announcements to all of the classrooms in the building. The students have taken complete ownership of this opportunity to use green screen technology to creatively produce the daily school happenings and news.

Playground progress

NUACS continues to raise funds to provide additional elements to the

St. Anthony Elementary playground. This year a Gaga Pit was added, and it provides many hours and opportunities for group play for the students and greater community outside of school hours.

In addition, NUACS raised over $8,000 in donations to facilitate the purchase of VR headsets and Promethean boards to benefit all NUACS students.