From left, Nick Wilson, Mitch Wilson, Matt Zager and Brett Adams take a break from the St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School-Davenport golf outing last summer. The event kicked off the year-long 100th anniversary of the Catholic school.
By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
DAVENPORT — The celebration continues marking the 100th anniversary of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School. The culminating event is a gala in May, said Julie Delaney, director of development for St. Paul the Apostle. She is also the former principal of the school.
The kickoff celebration began June 13-14 with a golf outing, open house and all-class reunion. Delaney said there were 88 golfers and more than 100 alumni, faculty, staff and parishioners at the open house.
Throughout the year, the school is highlighting alumni on its school, alumni and parish Facebook pages.
At the senior Thanksgiving dinner in November, Delaney said, a slide show of the school’s history was shown. An invitation was extended to alumni.
At the beginning of the school year, faculty and staff were given 100th anniversary T-shirts. Students will receive shirts this spring. In May students will attend a party that includes inflatables, cake and games.
“On May 1, we are having a gala as a culminating event for alumni, parishioners and school families, as well as using the opportunity to show our appreciation for our parish and school faculty and staff,” Delaney said. The gala is May 1 at the Rhythm City Casino and includes cocktails, silent auction, dinner, program and live auction.
“One of the live auction items is a beautifully hand-crafted table made out of the original classroom doors. The doors were recently switched out for Intruder Safety compliant classroom doors. Each class is also making an item to commemorate the year to be a part of the silent auction. Teachers are donating fun activities ‘Time with Teachers’ as a part of our silent auction.”
“This year has brought opportunities to reconnect with alumni and learn more about our history,” Delaney said. “The all-class reunion was filled with reminiscing, joy, and a lot of laughter. We need to continue to provide opportunities for our alumni to connect with the school and community. It provides such a rich experience for everyone.”
Tickets and sponsorship opportunities for the gala are available at https://onecau.se/_fmdb61
History
In 1909, 36 families met to develop plans for the parish. Later, the first classes were held in the church basement in 1925 while the cornerstone was laid for the current school, which opened in 1926. Additions were added in 1928, 1957, the early 1960s and 1997. The early learning program was expanded in 2008 and an elevator for accessibility was added to the school in 2017.
