Get Back into Your Daily Routine!

Join Mr. Garrick each morning at 8:00 a.m. for our prayer, pledge and announcements. If you are unable to join us live, please look for it on our school website.

"Control what we can, and offer up what we cannot." ~Jackson Browne (Monday's quote of the day during Mr. G's daily announcements; just another reason to tune in for an uplifting message to start your day!)

Test patch for planned lighting update in school hallway

Current lighting in school hallway

New lighting in gym complete!

On Care for our Common Home

Pope Francis has continually stressed the importance of conservation, highlighted most poignantly in his Encyclical Letter, Laudato Si’: On Care for our Common Home . As the head of the Catholic Church, we are careful to take notice of Pope Francis’ message, and implement new ways to become better stewards of God’s creation each day.  *See story below on how our school community responded to this message when Laudato Si' was first published in 2015.

Currently, 25% of the energy we consume at St. Francis DeSales is used to keep the lights on, so we partnered with the Diocese of Columbus to retain the engineering firm Plug Smart to evaluate our interior lighting. Plug Smart measured the existing lighting levels and energy usage for every interior space, including classrooms, hallways and activity centers. Their recommendations will significantly transform our school for years to come.

With a new lighting configuration, we will achieve a 63% reduction in the energy used for lighting. In a relatively short period of time, this project will pay for itself with the energy savings realized and save the school tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the fixtures. 

Over the next several months, a team of specialists will be converting our interior lighting to energy efficient LED panels and bulbs. This exciting update will improve the aesthetic and functional environment for our students and provide cleaner, more efficient lighting. The new lighting will also be cooler in comparison to the current CFL bulbs, which emit 80% of the energy as heat. A cooler, more efficient building is something that we can all look forward to!

This lighting update fits well with our efforts to work toward classroom and school-wide improvements highlighted in the Be The Light Campus Master Plan. We are very fortunate to have the support of the Zehala family, including St. Francis DeSales alumnus Dave Zehala ’83, President of Plug Smart, on this project. 

How We Answer the Call at SFD

In November 2015, St. Francis DeSales High School was honored to host Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson to speak on the document Laudato Si; Cardinal Turkson was instrumental in assisting Pope Francis write this important encyclical on the care of our world. Highlights about his visit shared below combined with the feature above on our new lighting system illustrates our school's sincere commitment to Pope Francis' message.

The Mighty Pen 2015-16 Year-in-Review

"Prior to his visit students studied the many environmental and right to life issues that this encyclical addresses. Cardinal Turkson’s talk was very inspirational for our school community as well as for the 400 plus guests that joined us from across the diocese. Following his talk a tree was planted on our campus to honor Cardinal Turkson and to be a living reminder of the message he shared. This opportunity has reemphasized our mission to care for all God’s creation, and reenergized our work for the environment, poor, unborn, and elderly. Over the years, many clubs have been established to encourage students to join in the fight to protect what God has created to sustain all life."

Weekly DeTales: November 3, 2015

"Students and staff greatly enjoyed Cardinal Turkson's visit yesterday. His message was beautiful; encouraging all of us to love creation and one another because God created both. He stated, "We cannot love God if we do not love what God has made." After he spoke to the student body and the guests from other Diocesan schools, Cardinal Turkson blessed a new tree we planted on the south side of the school. *More photos from yesterday's visit can be seen on the St. Francis DeSales Facebook page ." 

Continue to Cultivate Lenten Habits of Prayer, Fasting, and Works of Mercy

To learn more on how you can lend a hand during this time of need, read on! Mr. Welsh shares several ideas on ways to serve, even while we exercise caution to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

1. Shop Local. Many small businesses are really hurting right now due to forced shutdowns. Consider buying a gift card online to help local businesses out...plus you get the added bonus of looking forward to using your gift card to celebrate once things ease up a bit!

2. Call your Grandma! (Or FaceTime). Many of the elderly are feeling very anxious and isolated right now. Human contact is absolutely essential for their continued health. Reach out to the old folks in your life and let them know you love and are thinking of them!

3. Love Thy Neighbor. Are you or your family about to make a run to the grocery store to stock up on a few essentials? Consider reaching out to elderly or ill neighbors who may be running low on groceries. You can leave what they need on their porch; this is much safer for them than having to go to stores.

4. Write a Letter. (Credit to Mrs. Dufault for this awesome idea!) Along the same lines as my second suggestion, people in nursing homes could especially use a little extra love right now, as nursing facilities have become extremely restrictive on visitors. Write a letter to a loved one in a nursing home. Can't think of anyone? Click here for more suggestions.

5. Consider Volunteering. The need for volunteers at many local charities has increased dramatically. This is because a lot of the "regular" volunteers are retirees, and it has become risky for them to continue. This is a challenging suggestion of course - please make sure that the organization you help has good health precautions in place and that you talk it over with your parents first. Two organizations I have run across that you could contribute to are the Mid-Ohio Foodbank and The American Red Cross.

6. Donate to a charity. Consider donating cash online or reach out to a local non-profit to see what they could use right now. Need a suggestion? The St. Vincent Family Centers are in need of thermometers and probe covers for their clinic. You can contact Angela Summers, Director of Operations, St. Vincent Family Centers, at (614) 255-5751 with questions.

Stallions in the Spotlight

Over the past few weeks our faculty, staff, and students have shown their support to those on the frontlines - our healthcare heroes. They have put together snack trays and dropped them off to hospitals and have made hundreds of face masks to protect these workers. Members of our community have also reached out to elderly sisters and priests residing at an assisted living facility, sending their love through digital 'Letters of Hope.' We'd like to share the other acts of kindness our SFD family is doing during this time; please consider emailing a brief description and a picture to [email protected]. #hopeliveshere

Senior Mike DeBrosse was commissioned to make two large trays to be used during Holy Communion for our All-School Masses. He has his own business, Pixie Moon Studio, which makes hand-crafted wood creations. The trays are beautiful! Mike has been a wonderful blessing to our Campus Ministry department. He is a member of the E-Team, and was a leader for our Fall Kairos Retreat.

The Poetry Out Loud State Finals will be broadcast in this week's episode of "Broad & High" on Thursday, April 2 at 8:00pm on WOSU-PBS. (It will also repeat on Sunday, April 5 at 9:30am). Tune in to see SFD junior Monserrat Tlahuel-Flores' State Runner-up performance! The episode will be available online at www.wosu.org/BroadAndHigh, on Broad & High's YouTube channel, as well as on the free WOSU Public Media mobile app. 

To see some of our PJ posts from yesterday, check out the spotlight on our school website: https://www.sfdstallions.org/stallion-spotlight/viritual-spirit-week.

Each day we will feature pictures and videos from our Spirit Week on the webpage page above, as well as on our school's Instagram account.

ACT Testing Dates Expected to Fill Up Quickly

Registration is now open for ACT tests on June 13th and July 18th. Students interested in testing are encouraged to register as soon as possible, as preferred testing sites may fill up sooner than usual in light of recent cancellations of ACT tests. Registration can be completed at www.actstudent.org.

Students and families with any questions about college entrance exam testing are encouraged to reach out to their student's Guidance Counselor:

Lisa Dufault, [email protected], A-D last names

Katie Shelton, [email protected], E-L last names

Carli Urcheck, [email protected], M-R last names

Dan Rotella, [email protected], S-Z last names

Nicole Swisher, [email protected], Aquinas Program

Please remember the DeSales Guidance Staff is available via Email or Google Meet if students need assistance with organization, homework completion, emotional support, or communicating with their teachers. 

Internet Access

We want to ensure that all students are able to access the internet during this time of remote learning. If you or a classmate are having any issues in regards to this matter, please contact Mr. Garrick at [email protected].