“Insecurities, popularity, fitting in are just a few of the many challenges a new high school student faces each year. However, there is one approach to ease these concerns. That is a Catholic education. Catholic education emphasizes not only academic success, but spiritual development. This type of knowledge will undoubtedly lay a strong foundation for me, as I enter high school and beyond.” - Katie Schmidt, St. Thomas More class of 2019

Congratulations to the 108 eighth-grade students who entered the Nazareth Guild Essay contest. Students submitted a 400-word essay to the Nazareth Guild. A committee of seven individuals – Father Kyle Ratuiste, Susan Horton, Joe Poss, Shane Hatcher, Beth Murphy, Liz Morris & Lisa Welsh – read the anonymous entries and recommended winners. This year, for the first time ever, Nazareth Guild awarded 12 current Catholic school students a $1,000 scholarship and a plaque at their eighth grade graduation. The $1,000 scholarship helps ease the burden of the family’s first year tuition.

• All Saints Catholic School: Anikah Kienzle
• Assumption Catholic School (Spokane): Mason Curtis
• Assumption Catholic School (Walla Walla): Peter Didelius
• Cataldo Catholic School: Sophia McFarland
• Guardian Angel/St. Boniface Catholic School: Rachel Becker
• St. Aloysius Catholic School: Emily Chan
• St. Charles Catholic School: Joseph Shields
• St. John Vianney Catholic School: Madelyn Greger
• St. Mary Catholic School: Olivia Wehr
• St. Patrick Catholic School (Tri-Cities): Zoe Anais Diaz
• St. Thomas More Catholic School: Katie Schmidt
• Trinity Catholic School: Payton Bower

“The choice to join this school and church has left an imprint on me since my first day, and has provided me with the foundation to grow more than I thought possible. I now understand what it means to serve. I know I’ve built lifelong relationships here and I am certain this is where I was meant to be. It’s my turn to carry forth my lessons learned and share those with others.” - Madelyn Greger, St. John Vianney class of 2019

Special thanks to the anonymous donor whose funding made this initiative possible! To learn more about this and other efforts that support our sixteen Catholic schools, please contact Nazareth Guild at 509.744.3259 or visit our website: www.nazarethguild.org.