Each year as Easter draws near we watch Jesus Christ Superstar as a family. This particular dramatization of Jesus’ last days is a 1970s rock-opera. 

We know the songs by heart and our two older girls can identify the supporting cast: Mary Magdalene, Judas Iscariot, Pontius Pilate, Herod.

Our girls quickly adopt roles re-enacting the film. Whether playing in our backyard or at the park Coryn, our middle child, will spontaneously sing out “Hosanna Heysanna Sanna Sanna Ho” while pretending to wave a palm branch.

Watching a movie is never the same as reading the book (The Gospels), but at the very least, it’s an introduction to what we commemorate and celebrate at Easter.

As parents, we strive to be good role models and to talk openly about our faith in God. We attend mass on the weekend and pray as a family. Being Catholic is part of our identity. Our faith isn’t something we tuck away when we leave church or our home.

Both my husband and I believe our Catholic education helped us become well-rounded adults. For that reason we choose to send our daughters to Catholic school.  Small class sizes, daily prayer, school uniform, service projects and a close-knit school community are a few of the standout qualities of our school.

But what is most evident is the mission the faculty and staff live out each day: to love God and to love your neighbor.

Whether in the classroom, at the lunch table or on the playground, the students are often reminded to think outside of themselves for the good of another and to recognize God’s presence in their lives.

We are still new to our school, but over the past seven months we’ve witnessed our daughters grow. They have learned to write, read, add, make new friends and problem solve among their peers. Beyond the academic and social development, there’s been a notable shift in the way they speak and act.

Coryn makes drawings and cards simply to tell someone, “I love you.”

When the baby cries, Jo, our oldest, rushes over to sing her a lullaby.

After learning about children who don’t have enough food, clothes or toys, our girls are eager to give some of their own. Jo makes sure the food we give is nutritious to help the children have strong, healthy bodies.

Our girls know The Golden Rule and try very hard to abide by it. They are working on making good choices by taking time to think before acting. And, at school their teachers model Christian values: honesty, thankfulness, forgiveness, unconditional love, humility and devotion to God.

For us, having these values reinforced, practiced and integrated into our daughters’ education on a daily basis is priceless.