By Jon King / jking@whmi.com


Students at St. Mary Catholic School in Pinckney marked the end of an unforgettable school year by learning one more lesson; when resources are limited, community steps in to help.

St. Mary school families joined community members on Friday, June 12th to send off eighth grade graduates with a ceremony and mass. The end-of-year celebration also doubled as a donation drive to collect baby wipes and diapers to support pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Donated baby items will be accepted at St. Mary through June 28.

Friday’s event was the first time St. Mary students came together since school was dismissed due to the coronavirus in mid-March. St Mary Principal Veronica Kinsey said their teachers were participating in professional development training sessions on day one of the shutdown to learn virtual education techniques. “We are so proud of our staff, parents and students who learned new virtual platforms at a moment’s notice to ensure our students had a quality distance learning experience.”

School officials say parents were a “big part of the equation to help teachers deliver comprehensive lesson plans in various formats including Google Classroom, Zoom, written and video messages.” Third grade parent Amy Berry said she was impressed by the level of education St. Mary was able to sustain during COVID-19 “My daughter did quality school work, including a book report, science project, personal narrative writing assignment, art projects and music. Her computer teacher even provided technical support for parents. We feel very blessed to be at St. Mary during this time.”

School officials said that students were able to clear out their desks and, “say goodbye to this unprecedented school year.”