Mount Saint Joseph Academy will celebrate Saint Joseph’s Day on March 19th with a newly reimagined Day of Giving designed to strengthen sisterhood, school spirit and service while raising funds for the Mount Mission Fund.

Mrs. Katie McClernand Sacchetta ‘05, Director of Annual Giving, said the rebrand reflects Mount Saint Joseph Academy’s desire to combine community-building and student-centered activities with fundraising efforts that support the Mount Mission Fund.

Sisterhood:

Sisterhood is a key part of the Mount, whether you are on a sports team, involved in the arts, or on the robotics team Mounties always have a sister cheering them on.

“We will be inviting our sisters who live at the convent for breakfast to begin Saint Joseph’s Day,” Sacchetta said.

The Sisters of Saint Joseph love to be connected with the Mounties from teaching, praying, or just hanging out; the SSJ love being with their MSJA.

“Mid-day, we’ll rotate through a sisterhood station in the fishbowl. You will be doing a quilt project where you write your name or doodle on your individual square,” Sacchetta said.

Each student will receive a piece of the quilt that they will be decorating, drawing on, or writing their name on. Kate Moyer ’95 will then be sewing the quilt together to show a beautiful picture of the Campanile.

The Campanile is a Mount icon reminding Mounties, faculty, and staff to stand tall and firm just like the Campanile. As the Mount expands its footprint so will the Mounties that graduate, the quilt is a reminder that a part of them will always be at the Mount.

Spirit:

The Mount is known for its excellent academic standards, but Mounties love to lean into fun as well. The spirit portion of the day will celebrate the school community and the original gym while honoring our growth into the new athletic center.

Celebrations in the current gym will serve as a symbolic farewell to the space built in 1965.

Everything from the 360 Photo Booth to face painting, and bedazzling hair clips are focused on making final memories in our original gym. Hair braiding and tinsel will top it all off, bringing Mounties together to “get ready” for the much beloved afternoon skits.

Service:

Service is the third pillar of the Day of Giving and reflects the Sisters of Saint Joseph’s mission of serving the dear neighbor.

The final activity before the performances will be serving the dear neighbor by creating blessing bags for Face-to-Face in Germantown.

“We are going to gather in Fontbonne and there are going to be stations of toiletry items and each student is going to pack one blessing bag,” Campus Minister Mr. Charlie Bates said.

Face-to-Face provides meal services and social services to anyone in need, our blessing bags will include various toiletries like toothbrushes and toothpaste.

“We are partnering again with Face-to-Face Germantown, which is a wonderful community organization that serves our neighbors in Germantown,” Bates said.

Mounties will write notes and place them inside the blessing bags to give those at Face-to-Face some comfort and love.

Donations:

Thursday, March 19 the Mount will be hosting March Magic which is a 21 plus event to raise money for the Mount Mission Fund.

“The Mount Mission Fund supports every student every day from the classroom to the fields. It supports athletics, arts, academics, leadership opportunities, basically everything that makes the Mount, the Mount, and it’s what tuition doesn’t cover,” Sacchetta said.

The more the Mount Mission Fund raises, the more opportunities Mounties will have inside the classroom and outside. The Mount Fund allows Mounties to continue going on service and field trips, investing in our teachers, and hosting events for our alumnae.

Sacchetta said the school hopes to reach 500 donors and raise $185,800, a number that honors the year Mount Saint Joseph Academy was founded, 1858.