Our Lady of Grace School celebrates the diversity of humanity by presenting a different cultural experience to the students. Each grade level classroom is responsible for a different part of the world. Seventh grade celebrates the richness of Africa. The students of the 7th grade decided to present their culture to the school via interactive learning stations. The students prepared 6 different stations (Mask-making, sculpture making, dancing, musical instrument making, oral storytelling, and a taste of Africa food station) Each group was responsible for creating an experience that allowed each visiting grade level an opportunity to participate. Students created their own unique decorated masks after learning about the cultural significance and meaning of symbols. They created mini sculptures after learning about why Africans created them. Student became griot or keepers of the oral tradition of the village by telling stories. Each visitor to the music station created their own personal scaled djembes (African drums) using paper cups and tape. They creatively decorated them then learned the drumming technique. Learning about traditional African dances was not enough, young student visitors the the dance station learned to dance the Sinte along with other traditional dances. They also learned about the significance of face painting and its use with dance,. Imagine walking away with a sample of paint of your own! Finally, students not only learned about traditional agricultural resources of East Africa but also had a chance to taste Mandazi with toppings of their choice. The seventh grade classroom was indeed transformed into three regions of Africa- from the rainforest to the Sahara to the Savanna, student visitors were immersed in the rich cultural traditions of all parts of Africa.

To be sure, when something tragic takes place, the natural reaction is to do something concrete to express outrage, concern and solidarity. Catholic schools are unique environments to express these deep emotions, and in doing so, we are also called to respect the dignity of all human life. In the face of these senselessness acts of violence on school campuses, our goal is to offer our students authentically Catholic and age-appropriate ways to participate in the national dialogue around school safety. As Catholics we believe this is a pro-life issue, and we should ensure that our faith is our guide in how we constructively respond to the emotion that surrounds the issue. At Our Lady of Grace School, 10 of our 8th grade students penned the following meditations to be shared across campus throughout the day with intercom prayer. After each meditation, each class prayed the Hail Mary together.

Applications are still being accepted for Fall 2018 enrollment. Please visit the Admissions page for more information and schedule your visit today. Come see how OLG students are driven by faith and inspired to learn! We look forward to meeting you!

Our Lady of Grace was the recipient of the Diocese of San Diego Office for Schools' Re-Imagine Catholic Schools Award. This award is given to the school that best recognizes the needs and interests of the 21st century student – a marvelous compliment to our school community!