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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, St. Mary's Catholic School in West is celebrating |
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| 6 | 7 | | its 115th academic year in 2015, and this is a fitting opportunity |
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| 7 | 8 | | to commemorate this venerable institution's contributions to the |
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| 8 | 9 | | community; and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, St. Mary's Church of the Assumption was organized in |
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| 10 | 11 | | West in 1892; members of the congregation wanted to provide a |
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| 11 | 12 | | Catholic education for their children, so Father F. G. Sebik |
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| 12 | 13 | | arranged with Reverend Mother Florence of the Sisters of Divine |
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| 13 | 14 | | Providence in Castroville to have several nuns come to West and open |
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| 14 | 15 | | a school; and |
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| 15 | 16 | | WHEREAS, In October 1899, Sister Mary M. Pelagia and three |
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| 16 | 17 | | other nuns began teaching children of the parish in a small building |
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| 17 | 18 | | that included three classrooms as well as living quarters for the |
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| 18 | 19 | | sisters; many of the students lived too far away to walk to school |
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| 19 | 20 | | every day, so St. Mary's began to accept boarding students, and |
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| 20 | 21 | | enrollment grew so quickly that by 1909, the school was forced to |
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| 21 | 22 | | turn boarders away; and |
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| 22 | 23 | | WHEREAS, A brick schoolhouse, with six classrooms and an |
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| 23 | 24 | | auditorium, was constructed in 1917, and by 1928, seven nuns were |
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| 24 | 25 | | teaching at St. Mary's; over the years, the facility continued to |
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| 25 | 26 | | grow and develop as the enrollment and the staff increased, and new |
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| 26 | 27 | | extracurricular programs provided increasingly diverse activities |
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| 27 | 28 | | for the students; the school was accredited by the Texas Catholic |
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| 28 | 29 | | Conference in 1967; and |
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| 29 | 30 | | WHEREAS, Although the last Sister of Divine Providence left |
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| 30 | 31 | | the school in 1984, St. Mary's Catholic School remains a vital part |
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| 31 | 32 | | of the community; today, it serves more than 140 students from |
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| 32 | 33 | | prekindergarten through the eighth grade, helping them to reach |
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| 33 | 34 | | their highest potential spiritually, academically, physically, and |
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| 34 | 35 | | socially; and |
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| 35 | 36 | | WHEREAS, The ongoing commitment and mutual support of the |
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| 36 | 37 | | school's teachers, parents, and students ensure that the historic |
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| 37 | 38 | | tradition of Catholic education continues to thrive in West; now, |
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| 38 | 39 | | therefore, be it |
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| 39 | 40 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 40 | 41 | | Legislature hereby commemorate the 115th academic year of |
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| 41 | 42 | | St. Mary's Catholic School and extend to the school's staff and |
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| 42 | 43 | | students sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it |
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| 43 | 44 | | further |
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| 44 | 45 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 45 | 46 | | prepared for St. Mary's Catholic School as an expression of high |
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| 46 | 47 | | regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |
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