Clara Simrell, a sixth grade student at All Saints Academy in Scranton, places a piece of duct tape on her principal, Brittany Haynos-Krupski on Feb. 3, 2022.

SCRANTON – As the 19 Catholic Schools across the Diocese of Scranton continue to celebrate Catholic Schools Week – one event at All Saints Academy was “stickier” than the rest.

On Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, students had the opportunity to duct tape their principal, Brittany Haynos-Krupski, to a cafeteria wall. The event was a fundraiser for the school’s Parent Teacher Organization.

“We were researching and found this idea on Pinterest and she (Haynos-Krupski) was like, ‘Sure, I’ll do it,’ and the rest is history,” JoAnn Lameo, All Saints Academy PTO President, said.

For a two-dollar donation, students got a two-foot strip of duct tape to help hold their principal in place.

“It was something interesting. It was an out-of-the-box idea, not something I was expecting but the school is always about new things. I think the kids really enjoyed it,” eighth grader Jacob Roberts said.

Offering students the unique opportunity to tape their principal to the wall is just one of the many activities that students at All Saints Academy took part in this week.

“Catholic Schools Week is when we really have fun and everyone enjoys it,” eighth grader Allie Romanchick explained.

“There have been a lot of fun activities like duct taping our principal, we painted earlier today, last year we tie-died t-shirts and had movie days,” eighth grader Ariana Cabelly added.

Since 1974, Catholic Schools Week nationwide have been celebrating the importance of Catholic education. This year’s theme is, “Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.”

Each one of the Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Scranton have a series of week-long activities planned, which include Masses, open houses in many cases and other activities for students, families, parishioners and community members. Through these events, schools focus on the value Catholic education provides to young people and its contributions to our church, our communities and our nation.

As he prepares to go to transition to a Catholic high school, Roberts said he would not trade his Catholic school experience for anything.

“It’s definitely a lot more focused. It’s a lot more hands on. It is definitely something that parents should be considering when sending their kids to school. Personally, I think Catholic Schools are one of the best experiences you could have,” he explained.

Cabelly just started at All Saints Academy last year during the COVID-19 pandemic and said she couldn’t have felt more welcome.

“All the students and teachers are nice and welcoming. For me, I went to a public school for almost all my life and when switching I was very nervous, but it was a nice and welcoming community,” she said.

Through its duct tape fundraiser, the students raised $670 for the All Saints Academy Parent Teacher Organization. The group has many other fundraisers planned to help support its annual Fun Day and Teacher Appreciation Week.

 

Allie Romanchick, an eighth grade student at All Saints Academy, helps duct tape her principal, Brittany Haynos-Krupski, to a cafeteria wall as part of a fundraiser Feb. 3, 2022.