St. Teresa students help community during Catholic Schools Week

Lizzie Cates, 13, stood in front of the Legislature on Wednesday morning waving a sign at oncoming traffic that read, "You Can Make a Difference."

"A lot of people think they can't do anything to help the world," she explained. "They can."

For instance, she said, they could follow the example of her classmates at St. Teresa of Avila Catholic School, who are observing Catholic Schools Week.

Each day, the students have participated in a service-related activity.

On Wednesday, the school's 180 students gathered coats, hats and scarves they'd collected and walked the donations to the Legislature. There they loaded the items into a van to be taken to Catholic Community Services.

"We know during this season there's a lot of people who need them because it's really cold outside," said sixth-grader Riley Azevedo, 11. "It will be nice to keep them warm."

The week's activities, organized by teachers Staci Bayliss and Kathy Hogan, centered around service. Students and their families perform 4,000 hours of service annually.

"The word Catholic means universal," Hogan said. "It is our obligation, our duty, to take care of others. We wanted the children taking an active part in it."

At a brief ceremony held at the Legislature, District Attorney Neil Rombardo, whose son attends the school, addressed the students.

"Service is important to a successful community," he said. "It increases public safety when we reach out and work together to help others."

- Contact reporter Teri Vance at tvance@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1272.