On March 17th, the feast day of St. Patrick is celebrated. St. Patrick is the patron
saint of Ireland. He is famously known for bringing Christianity to Ireland. One
person that really loves to celebrate this holiday is health teacher, Mrs. Kathy
Schembra.
She gives an enthusiastic explanation on why she celebrates this holiday.
“Because I have Irish blood, I consider myself very proud to be an Irishman.
Everyone should take huge pride in their heritage,” Schembra said. “I am thrilled
to celebrate my heritage and my family,” she said.
Schembra decorates her house and prepares it for her St. Patrick’s Day party.
“At home there are streamers and green lights everywhere. I get out my St. Pat-
rick statues, flags, banners, and anything that we can find, we put up to honor and
salute St Patrick’s Day,” she said. “The whole house is decorated with green. At our
house, St. Patrick’s Day is like the 2nd Christmas. ”
She also accessorizes the outside of her home, not just the inside.
“My son built a huge shamrock more than 15 years ago,” she said. “ I have lights
installed on it. During the whole month of March, the shamrock is lit. You can
definitely tell it’s an Irish house when you drive by.”
On St. Patrick’s Day, Schembra hosts a grand feast at her house, filled with all of
the essentials.
“We have a huge St. Patrick’s Day party complete with all the green. There are
green dishes, corn beef, cabbage, and Irish soda bread. It’s all there.”
Schembra has also shared the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day with her kids.
“Two of my kids were born on St. Patrick’s Day, and it was not by accident.
When my kids were little, I took them out of school and we went to the St Patrick’s
Day parade,” Schembra explains.
Senior Taylor Turk shares her experience of being a student in Schembra’s class-
room during the month of March.
“Mrs. Schembra celebrating St. Patrick’s Day makes the holiday more enjoyable
for everyone. I didn’t really celebrate the holiday before having her as a teacher,
but being in her room and seeing her green outfits every day in March gets me
into the St. Patty’s Day spirit,” Turk said. “Seeing her enthusiasm for the day defi-
nitely rubs off onto her students and creates more excitement for the day.”
Turk thinks that celebrating cultural holidays is an essential part of all cultures.
“I think it is good to celebrate different cultural holidays, because it gives other
glimpses into each unique background and is always an opportunity to learn,”
Turk said. “I definitely think big celebrations of holidays make class more fun.
Schembra’s enthusiasm for the day rubs off on her students for the entire month
leading up to St. Patrick’s Day.”
