Eighth grade students perform a play about St. Francis of Assisi and St. Augustine of Hippo last month at Saints Mary and Mathias Catholic School in Muscatine.
By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
MUSCATINE — When it comes to learning about saints at Saints Mary and Mathias Catholic School, there’s a bit of drama involved.
Each month, classes at the pre-K through eighth grade school take turns offering a theatrical presentation about one of the saints in front of the student body. It’s a tradition that started more than a decade ago, when Principal Ben Nietzel realized the students didn’t always know who they were praying to in the Litany of the Saints. “What he had in mind was to provide a fun format where the kids could learn about and become more familiar with the saints,” said Julio Mercurio, the school’s minister of faith formation.
The two eighth grade classes kicked off the series in September by developing and performing a play about St. Francis of Assisi and St. Augustine of Hippo. Some students wore costumes and portrayed scenes from the saints’ lives. Others, in their usual attire, offered narration. Fellow students sat wide-eyed in the gym watching the 15-minute presentation. In October, the seventh grade class will perform.
Middle school students begin preparing for their presentations a few weeks in advance, Mercurio said. They first select a saint, eliminating the names of those they’ve presented in previous years. Then, the students research the saint, develop a concept and delegate roles. Mercurio supervises and offers guidance, encouraging the students to be creative and “go above and beyond” the previous year’s performance.
He’s enjoyed seeing where that creativity leads. Last year, the seventh graders did a Magic School Bus-themed presentation on St. Carlo Acutis, and this year’s seventh grade class has chosen to create a game show-style presentation. The sixth grade class, which is scheduled to begin preparations later this fall, created a play with commercial interruptions last year. “It just really amazes me, as a teacher, that these kids are able to conceptualize this all by themselves and are able to work together as a group.”
Leaders emerge during the process, and some students discover that they have an aptitude for public speaking or performance, Mercurio said. “It doesn’t always show in the classroom, but with a project like this, (they may find) it’s something they really love doing and are invested in.”
Logan Kraushaar’s role in the eighth-grade play was to help direct and organize the St. Augustine portion of the presentation. He also helped write the script and run rehearsals in Mercurio’s faith formation classes. “I appreciate the fact that I got to learn a lot about St. Augustine as well as learn more about presentation skills and getting a message across to the audience,” he said.
Grades K-5 work with their homeroom teachers, who take a more hands-on approach to the presentations.
Mercurio said it’s rewarding to see the presentations come to life at the school assembly, to which relatives are invited. “It’s always a sight to see parents and grandparents there supporting their kids and to see how happy the kids are at seeing their (loved ones) watch the fruit of their labor.”
Sixth-grader Maddox Cruse said he appreciates the opportunity to see the saints come to life each month. He’s learned that saints “still go through troubles,” just like anyone else.
Eighth-grader Arihan Gautam, who portrayed St. Francis in the recent play, likes the fact “that we get to learn about saints who we are supposed to follow and have as our guide.”
