St. Brigid School announced that the National Catholic educational Association (NCEA) has named Beatriz St. John a 1998 NCEA Catholic Elementary School Distinguished Graduate. She graduated in 1982 from St. Brigid School and is currently an Administrative Assistant of the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute. She is also Coordinator of Children's Faith Formation at St. Agnes. Beatriz graduated from St. Rose Academy and finished her schooling at the University of California at Berkeley.
     Sponsored by the NCEA's Department of Elementary Schools in cooperation with St. Brigid School, the award goes to St. Brigid School for outstanding personal and professional achievements.
     Throughout her life Beatriz consistently has pursued the highest possible professional and personal standards. She is an example of how Catholic Schools educate people to take leadership roles in their community and beyond.

Thank You from Beatriz      Thank you very much. St. Brigid School really means a lot to me. I had great fun here and learned a lot. It's one of the reasons I got involved in the parish's effort to save the Church. I think it's a shame that you can't worship in that beautiful church or can't play in the gymnasium, especially on rainy days like today. We, the parishioners, are doing all that we can to get the Church reopened for you.      There are many people I would like to thank for receiving this award. First, I would like to thank the principal and faculty for selecting me for this award. It's a great honor. I would also like to thank my mom and dad for sending me here. My parents had a choice in what school they could have chosen for me, just like your parents had. They could easily have sent me to a public school. It would have been easier on their wallets. But they chose St. Brigid and for that I'm very grateful. Had I gone to another school, I would have still learned how to read, how to write a report, and how to add and subtract.      What I would have missed, however, would have been the friendships I made with my fellow classmates and teachers. How to be a good friend is not something you can learn from a book. It's something you have to experience. It's something you have to share.      Today, I am still very good friends with some of my classmates. We've been through good times and bad times together. I've seen some of them get married and have children and they have also been there for me. I am the person I am because of these friendships. I hope that you all cherish the friendships that you make at St. Brigid and that they'll be with you for a long time.

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