The second — and last — senior brunch next week at St. James School in Highwood will be bittersweet.
The event was created in 2014 to thank parish and community seniors for their contributions to the school the previous year. Wednesday’s brunch in Parish Hall, 140 North Ave., will do the same, but with the knowledge that the school is closing after classes end in coming weeks.
The brunch is free and open to seniors in the community. It follows a mass that begins at 8:10 a.m.
Established in 1925, St. James School will be merged with Holy Cross School in Deerfield as part of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s school consolidation.
Last year’s fbrunch was very well received, said St. James School Principal Mary Vitulli, who came up with the idea. “With the school closing, we absolutely want to have another one as a way to truly say, ‘Thank you.'”
The senior members of the St. James community — ages 50 and up — have made significant contributions to the school, Vitulli said. “Some are parishioners, others are parents who sent their children to the school, and others have served as volunteers. They donate in various ways. They help support our fundraisers, they donate directly to the school by way of its Angel Fund, or if a parishioner’s loved one passes, they make a donation to the school in their name. They have also been very generous with their time.”
Vitulli considered the brunch as a way for students to show their appreciation.
“It’s important for children to give back,” she said.
The school’s junior high students were recruited to help organize and plan the event. They helped prepare the food or brought it. They served it and helped to clean. All students from kindergarten through 8th grade entertained by singing songs from the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s.
” We also thought it would be a good idea before the brunch for students to interact with the seniors and ask them questions,” the principal said.
The event is rewarding, said student Michael Combs, 14, of Highwood.
“It’s a good thing overall because it connects our students with the parishioners, and it’s a nice way to give back to the community. The seniors really enjoyed seeing us (last year). When we sang, all of them had smiles on their faces. I chatted with a table of ladies. A few were graduates of St. James, so we talked about the school then and now. It was nice,” Michael said.
Last year’s brunch was on the day before Valentine’s Day. Successful as it was, Vitulli said, it became even more important in light of the school’s closing to draw more people.
“We will get a lot more of the snowbirds (who weren’t here last winter),” she said laughing. “We want to make sure that the people know how much we have appreciated their support for 90 years, not just for the last couple.”
Donald Liebenson is a freelance reporter.
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