Jean Batenhorst-Smith and Jim Smith are the elves on campus. They see what needs to be done and quietly do it. Jean (CHS ‘83) and Jim (Blessed Sacrament/Holy Name roots) were married at St. Philip Neri in 1995. They began volunteering when their four children attended St. Cecilia School. They have been involved in multiple official activities such as Home and School, ABC, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, sports coaching, Board of Education, Parish Council, Finance Council, CathedralFest (chaired multiple years), Comedy & Cuisine, plus many more special projects like restoring the art wing. They are staples on campus. Jean has worked at St. Cecilia School for almost 20 years. She worked for several years in the PreK and Kindergarten rooms and now serves as a para for K, 1st, and 2nd grade classes. Beyond Webster Street, Jim has worked as Senior VP of Procurement for Highline Warren for more than 30 years. They love to visit their children.

Our Knights of Columbus keep building community on campus. They host a monthly parish breakfast (the second Sunday of the month), a salmon plank dinner (Mac and cheese option for the kids!) during Lent, and the Friday “Knight” party and Spaghetti Dinner during CathedralFest weekend. Our Knights are also service-focused: hosting quarterly blood donation drives; completing various projects on campus, most recently fixing and painting the awning above the gym entrance; and assisting other groups, like CAP and the Filipino and Karenni communities, in their projects. The Knights of Columbus Council #652 – Father Flanagan of Boys Town was founded on March 16, 1902.

Steve is a Class of ’93 St. Cecilia Grade School alum. He started coaching when his children were young, spending 8 years as a soccer coach and coaching basketball for the past 23 years, well beyond his own children’s elementary years. You still can find him coaching multiple teams most seasons. Not only does he guide young athletes, he also builds community by organizing the Cathedral Basketball Tournament for the past 12 years. Professionally, Steve has worked for over 20 years at Metropolitan Utilities District.

Saint Cecilia Grade School is a vital part of Saint Cecilia Parish and the Saint Cecilia Community. It is funded through four primary sources: Parish Support, Tuition and Fees, Endowment Support, and Comedy & Cuisine. Without each of these resources, Saint Cecilia School would not exist. Comedy & Cuisine is a necessary and critical element in the school’s support system. Its donors, patrons, underwriters, advertisers, and bidders serve as the capstone to this support system.

Donations to Comedy & Cuisine continue to build our ministry to educate our children, prepare them to meet the challenges of the 21st Century, and fulfill our mission:
+ To teach and live the Catholic faith within a nurturing family-like community.
+ Teach reverence for life and respect for all.
+ Foster each student’s academic potential.

This year’s Comedy & Cuisine leadership team, with the consent of Principal Jessie Stoffel and Pastor Fr. Hans, has chosen to Fund the Future of our children by raising financial support and investing in their safety by upgrading our security technology and facilities at Saint Cecilia School and across the entire Cathedral campus.

We will improve our perimeter fencing, our cameras and monitoring, and our entry access security across campus. A security committee is forming to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment, and will engage local law enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security for their expertise and options to find the best solutions for our children’s safety. All activities and buildings on campus will be evaluated to discover vulnerabilities and opportunities to make our campus more secure every day of the year.

St. Cecilia Cathedral Grade School, an apostolate of St. Cecilia Parish, was founded in 1907. St. Cecilia School educates a diverse population of children in PreKindergarten through 8th Grade. St. Cecilia School is committed to fostering a Christian learning environment and proclaiming and modeling faith, worship, service and prayer.

St. Cecilia’s academic strength is built on strong parent involvement and a dedicated faculty that averages 18 years of experience. Our goal is to work with parents to provide their children an education of the highest quality and to build a strong foundation for success in high school and beyond.

St. Cecilia is a one-to-one school. Weekly technology classes are offered for all students (grades PreK – 8). We incorporate the use of technology to enhance and support our curriculum and to allow for personalized learning. All students in grades K – 8 are taught computer programming skills using various programs.

St. Cecilia Cathedral School goes beyond the normal academic curriculum. We feel that it is important to meet the differentiated needs of our students and provide opportunities to explore their interests.

St. Cecilia offers soccer (boys and girls PreK-8th), volleyball (girls 5th-8th), basketball (boys and girls 3rd-8th), and track (boys and girls 6th-8th).