We choose to send our children to St. Thomas Catholic School because it provides them with an excellent faith-based education in a small tight-knit school that feels like an extension of our home. I know that my children will leave St. Thomas as confident, faithful young ladies who will have bright futures ahead of them. - Molly French, Parent/Alumni
Catholic school students learn the virtue of service as an essential component of their curriculum. My children and their classrooms rake leaves and visit the elderly, they collect food for the food shelf and winter coats for those in need. The older children are responsible for younger students as a mentor and reading buddies. Here at St. Thomas, students also support the food shelf, collect pennies for patients, and visit the nursing home. Students are prayer buddies for each other and 4th and 5th graders read to the preschool students. Father Mike Schmitz, who leads the Newman Center at UMD and has the fantastic podcast, “The Bible in A Year” said in a speech earlier this year that in his catholic school in Brainerd, MN, it was drilled into him that, “If you’re a Christian, you have to act like a Christian. If you’re a Christian, you have to serve the people around you, or you’re not really a Christian. If you are a Christian, you have to love the people who can’t pay you back.” Service is foundational in our Catholic Schools. - Dr. Hilary Reich, Alumni
I did not attend St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, but I was fortunate enough to attend and graduate from a Catholic grade and high school. Education at a private school is a privilege and a private, Catholic school is even better. The smaller class sizes allow the teachers to give students a more one-on-one teaching experience. Catholic Christian values intertwined with the academic lessons lays the groundwork for a kind and caring student/adult. I marvel at the speaking capabilities of St. Thomas Aquinas students. I attend as many school Masses as possible, and to see and hear students proclaim the readings and announce the petitions clearly and succinctly instills a confidence in students that they will use for the rest of their lives. - Audrey Chute, Parishioner