St. Mary’s School will host more than 600 students, faculty and staff from across northern Santa Barbara County as they converge on St. Mary of the Assumption Church at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 28, to celebrate Mass and the start of Catholic Schools Week.

“We’re blessed to have so many students join us in celebrating our faith and the positive impact Catholic schools have had not only here, but across America,” said Michelle Cox, St. Mary’s School principal.

“This is largest gathering of Catholic youth in northern Santa Barbara County and the ninth year of the schools coming together,” she said.

Students from La Purisima School in Lompoc, St. Mary of the Assumption School and Preschool in Santa Maria, St. Louis de Montfort in Orcutt, and St. Joseph High School will attend. The elementary students will share lunch and classroom activities for the remainder of the school day.

“It is inspirational to see so many youth together sharing their love of God and joy for learning,” Cox said. “At St. Mary’s School, we’ve been teaching students from the Santa Maria Valley for 80 years and our alumni have helped shape the community.”

St. Mary of the Assumption School, founded Sept. 14, 1938, is the Santa Maria Valley’s oldest Catholic School. The school, acredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the Western Catholic Educational Association, serves some 250 students in preschool to eighth grade.

For more, contact Cox at 805-925-6713 or email principal@stmarysschoolsm.com.

— Michelle S. Cox for St. Mary of the Assumption School.