By By JAMES COLLINS / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- St. Mary's School in Niles has planned a week full of fun and educational activities as part of Catholic Schools Week.
The national campaign is designed to recognize Catholic schools across the country.
Bryant said she has been participating in Catholic Schools Week for the 12 years that she has been a Catholic school principal.
On Tuesday afternoon, the school performed a bookmarks buddy activity, in which the older kids paired up with a younger student and helped to create bookmarks for the church's parishioners.
Bryant said the decorative bookmarks were to be given to parishioners as a thank you for their continued support of the school.
The buddy program is a year round activity in which the young and old student partners are linked together for the entire year.
She said there are about four different buddy activities a year including reading, art and outdoor activities.
Bryant said there is also a public relations component to Catholic Schools Week.
Bryant said students are not required to be a Catholic to attend the school.
On Monday, they kicked off the school week with a quiz bowl and spelling bee for fourth through sixth grades.
The younger kids are scheduled to have their quiz bowl on Thursday at 10 a.m.
The school will welcome the students' grandparents to visit on Thursday for an ice cream social and a puppet show.
The puppet show will be a marionette production of the Wizard of Oz put on by Stevens Puppets, a national touring company.
Bryant, who has brought in Stevens Puppets in the past, was very pleased with the other performances and is looking forward to the show on Thursday.
The show is scheduled to begin at 12:30 and is open to the public.
On Friday, the students will perform a children's mass at the church at 8 a.m. The mass will feature the children's choir and the readings will all be done by students. Catholic Schools Week will wrap with a mass at the church on Saturday, followed by an open house and pizza party at 5:30 p.m..
Bryant said all members of the public are invited to come to the school for any of the events.
The public is also invited to visit for a tour, to observe a classroom or to visit with the staff at any time during their school hours from 7:45 a.m. to 2:25 p.m.