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Kids vs Parents: Holy Family 6th grade enjoys dodgeball battle
HF dodgeball 2025
Holy Family School students cheer from the sidelines in the annual dodgeball game between parents and sixth graders. - photo by photos by Susan Thacker/Great Bend Tribune

A highlight of Catholic Schools Week (Jan. 26 through Feb. 1) for the students at Holy Family School in Great Bend was the epic dodgeball event of parents vs sixth graders.

“The excitement for that is tremendous,” Principal Debbie Hagans said, noting it takes place every year. In a close two-out-of three contest on Wednesday, the sixth graders were victorious.

Catholic Schools Week is an annual, national occurrence observed with Masses, assemblies, events and other activities for students, families, parishioners and community members to join the celebration around what makes Catholic schools stellar.

Hagans said this year’s Penny Challenge will benefit a school affected by the wildfires in California. Each year during Catholic School Week, the students bring in spare change and cash donations for the Penny Challenge, which was set to wrap up Friday afternoon. The classes compete to see who can collect the most money to support the school and a charitable cause near and dear to students’ hearts. Last year’s Penny Challenge raised over $2,000 and the school gave $1,000 of that to the Golden Belt Humane Society.

Students do a number of things for community service and outreach. Once a month, the fourth graders eat lunch at Brookdale Senior Living and visit with the residents there.

On Feb. 14, they will present a Kansas Wax Museum program. This is similar to the Saints Wax Museum they did last year on All Saints Day. 

For that, students dressed as a favorite saint and then posed as a wax statue. But if someone pressed the “button” drawn on a statue’s hand, it would come to life and tell the story of the person depicted.

Also coming up are the Civic Orations, where students memorize 3-5 minute speeches.

As members of the new Central Kansas Christian Basketball League, Holy Family had three first-place teams (A Team Boys, A Team Girls and B Team Boys) in the 2024-2025 season. The B Team Girls took third place.

In Great Bend, teams are the Central Kansas Christian Academy Warriors and the Holy Family Shooting Stars. Other schools in the league are the Stafford Trojans and the Chase Kats.

St. Joseph Elementary School in Ellinwood also celebrated Catholic Schools Week with a scavenger hunt talent show and more.