PIKE CREEK — The community at St. John the Beloved School in Wilmington turned a bit tropical on Sept. 29 as a way to help a fellow Catholic school that could certainly use it.
Students, teachers, administrators and even associate pastor Father Michael Preston donned a lei with his cassock as part of an effort to raise money for Sacred Hearts School in Lahaina, Hawaii, which was severely damaged by a windstorm and fire in August.
Richard Hart, the principal of St. John the Beloved, said the idea for a dress down day arose after the student council and some parents expressed an interest in helping victims of the fires.
“We went online and found out about a Catholic school where the fire was — Sacred Hearts Catholic School — and we decided to help them,” he said.
It was easy to get everyone behind the idea, he continued. On Sept. 29, the school was filled with Hawaiian shirts, grass skirts, leis and flowers.
The event fit in with the diocesan schools office them for the year, the Beatitudes. Hart said this is one way to see them in action.
“We’re going to think of some other ways throughout the year that we can help raise some funds,” he said.
