And the winner is ...
St. Andrew’s in Newtown

By Lou Baldwin
Special to the CS&T

The St. Andrew, Newtown, Home and School Association is anything but a Mickey Mouse operation — even though many of its members will be on two chartered flights to Disneyland next week.

Because of the trip, they’ll miss the presentation of their award as ‘Distinguished Home and School Association of the year’ at the National Catholic Educational Association at a ceremony March 30 in the Marriott Hotel.

Many association members had the joint vacation all set up when the award was announced, according to St. Andrew’s principal, Nancy Matteo. She will accept the award for the Home and School Association.

“I’m thrilled. We’re honored they are getting this award,” Matteo said.

The organization’s project that caught the NCEA’s eye was a huge health fair it sponsored last year. But according to Matteo, the Home and School Association does much more than that. The group has raised more than $100,000 this year for the parish school. which has 950 students in the elementary grades and 150 in pre-school.

What’s the association’s secret? For one thing, all of its officers are highly motivated, multi-talented professionals.

Catherine Turner, the organization’s president, is a physician in general practice. Vice president Jane Celentano is an attorney with expertise in international law. Donna Alexander, the treasurer, is a practicing CPA. Janet Snyder, the secretary, is an engineering project manager.

“We never met before coming on the board, but we work well as a team,” said Turner. “Any credit the Home and School [association] gets comes from cooperation and partnership with the administration. Our parish really tries to work with us, and Mrs. Matteo is a breath of fresh air.”

Early on, the association developed a mission statement that stresses “service to family, community and school,” Turner said.

Fundraisers, which come under the purview of the association’s Ways and Means Committee, may sound commonplace — a Monte Carlo Night, a Christmas Bazaar and a “Tricky Tray” basket auction — but they have raised thousands of dollars: Monte Carlo Night brought in $35,000; the Christmas Bazaar, $27,000, and the Tricky Tray auction $45,000.

In addition, the group oversees smaller fundraising efforts such as the sale of coupon books and school spirit items, and it imposes $25 in dues for Home and School Association membership.

As a result of those fundraising successes, “we have a computer lab that’s unbelievable,” said Turner , who has two boys, Michael and Colin, in fifth grade and a daughter, Catie, in kindergarten.

Also, thanks to the association’s financial help, a foreign language class in Spanish has been introduced into the school. It is now taught in classes extending from kindergarten through fifth grade; within three years every child in school will be studying Spanish.

At the same time, the association is involved in many things that have nothing to do with fundraising.

The health fair was open to the whole community as a public service, and one conservative estimate set its attendance at 500. Participants listened to 24 speakers on a variety of health topics that included parenting; cholesterol-level controls; healthy eating habits; diabetes; updates on vaccinations; mothers’ health; menopause, and heart disease.

The fair was such a success it will be repeated this year, but this time with an emphasis on one-to-one interaction between those who attend and physicians and other experts.

“The Home and School is very committed to education,” Turner said. She noted the organization also runs a blood drive and conducts CPR training.
While the Disney trip is the organization’s most ambitious social activity, there have been many others, from movie nights and ice cream socials to a huge ‘Welcome Back to School’ party.

“I feel we are able to get great programs for the children and social programs for adults, Celentano said. The organization’s vice president also has three children at St. Andrew’s school — Irina in grade five; Matthew in first grade; and Isabelle in kindergarten.

“We have a wonderful, wonderful group that is incredibly creative, creating a better environment of our students and ourselves,” Celentano said.

She works at home to be with her children, and it is also for their sake that she became active with the Home and School Association. “I’d like to see it keep growing and bringing new people into the fold,” she said.

Meanwhile, if the association’s leadership team has any regrets about missing the award ceremony at the NCEA, it can’t be helped. And the award, itself, will last long after the convention, as a permanent honor for lots of hard work and ingenuity.

“At the end of the year, we’ll go to dinner,” Turner said, “and give each other high fives.”