MIDDLESEX TWP - The schoolwide project planned for national Catholic Schools Week had Holy Sepulcher students in quite a state this week.

Principal Jacki Delaney and her teachers planned a geographical extravaganza for each class in the school, which educates those in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Holy Sepulcher is among 8,000 Catholic schools in the nation participating in the event, which began Saturday. This year's theme is "Faith in Every Student."

Although participating schools implement the theme in a variety of ways, Holy Sepulcher decided to integrate geography into its activities, focusing on the unique qualities of nine regions of the United States. Each of the school's nine classrooms was assigned a region.

Classes studied up on their regions and planned artistic ways to show their classmates what they had learned. Each class decorated its doors with information, drawings and maps of their region to rev up for the weeklong celebration

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On Monday, students dressed in historical garb from their regions, and sixth graders studying the mid-Atlantic states put on a chorus line-type performance to the tune of "New York, New York." Delaney choreographed the dance. Tuesday marked craft day, in which students made round pins depicting scenes from their region and traded them with other students. Teachers also made pins and traded them with their peers.

On Wednesday, parents came to class to watch their offspring learn about their regions and were treated to a talent show and lunch in the cafeteria. Nine state fairs will be held today, complete with food and games. The week will wrap up with senior citizens "buddy bingo" at the school.

Delaney said kindergartners studied the Hawaiian Islands, so they performed a hula dance on Monday. Second graders, who studied the Deep South, performed a skit and sang the African-American spiritual "He's got the Whole World in His Hands." Delaney said it is information from the unique projects that students remember well into adulthood.

"It's fun and exciting, but it is also a way of learning that meets the needs of all students, and it's hands on," said Delaney.

The sixth-grade girls who performed in "New York, New York" were eager to share their thoughts on their Catholic school education, which spans beyond the annual week of special events.

"I like it because it's a lot smaller than public school and you get to know all the kids better," said Emma Donnelly. Candice Fry agreed, saying goodwill is more prevalent in a small, Christian-based school.

"Most of us always get along," said Candice.

Makenzie Kozik and Julia Ellenberger appreciate the presence of Christianity in their school day.

"You get a good moral every day," said Makenzie.

"You get to pray a lot," said Julia. "I like to pray because you can say anything to God."

Holy Sepulcher parents cleaning up the school's kitchen after preparing and serving tacos for lunch said the moral lessons learned at Holy Sepulcher lay the foundation for the decisions made throughout their young adulthood and beyond.

Tracy Starr of Penn Township has a seventh grader at Holy Sepulcher and a sophomore at Knoch High School who graduated from "Holy Sep" in eighth grade.

"He has good judgment in high school now and his coming here was definitely a part of that," said Starr.

Middlesex resident Jamie Smith has four children at Holy Sepulcher in grades one through seven. She said she chose the school because it is small, which allows more individual attention.

Smith said her children all get up at the same time and ride the same bus to school. She said they would be in four different schools if they went to Mars School District.

"It would be a logistical nightmare," said Smith.

Delaney said Holy Sepulcher graduates go to a variety of high schools, including Mars, South Butler, North Catholic in Pittsburgh, and Duquesne Vincentian in the North Hills.

Adrienne Ofcharsky, principal at St. Mary of the Assumption School in Herman, said students there also participated in Catholic Schools Week.

Many of St. Mary's activities centered on recognizing former students, she said, with one 1949 graduate, Eugene Widenhofer, receiving a special award. Another graduate, children's author H.J. LeGrand III, is set to visit the school today.

Ofcharsky said recognizing the graduates is one way to implement the theme, since those graduates demonstrate the outcome of a successful education. "It goes back to the theme," she said. "We believe in what (our students) can accomplish - and there's proof."