St. Thomas Aquinas Regional School students, faculty and staff reached out to those impacted by the recent hurricanes with prayer, concern and support through relief efforts that included monetary collections, fund-raisers, and a food and supply drive for those impacted in the gulf region. At a weekly school Mass, $1,368.85 was collected and sent to Catholic Charities to help those affected in the gulf region. During another school Mass, students collected $588.22 as part of the National Catholic Education Association "Child to Child: A Catholic Campaign to Aid Education" effort, which will aid education in the hurricane areas.

Aquinas also joined efforts with five other schools and businesses in Prince William and Fairfax Counties for a large food and supply collection, which was coordinated by Aquinas parent Alisa Romero. Aquinas students and parent volunteers collected and packaged 60 boxes of food and supplies which were loaded on a tractor trailer. Interstate Worldwide Relocation of Springfield donated a driver, tractor trailer and gas to deliver the needed supplies to the gulf region. Gift cards for Home Depot and Target to purchase needed supplies were also sent to St. Bede the Venerable Church in Montgomery, Ala., to aid victims in the gulf region.

Due to the extensive damage caused by the Hurricane Katrina flooding, St. Francis Xavier Cabrini School in New Orleans, La., was closed and unable to reopen. However, it was announced that on Oct. 17, St. Francis Xavier Cabrini School and Cathedral Academy opened as a combined school in New Orleans and will twin for the remainder of the school year. Cathedral Academy was the first school, public or private, to open in the city. It is staffed by the Dominican Sisters of the St. Cecilia Congregation and a lay faculty. To help support the Cathedral Academy in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, the Aquinas Student Council is currently selling blue wristband bracelets inscribed with Pope John Paul II's words, "Be Not Afraid." The bracelets are designed in royal blue to represent Aquinas' school colors. As a result of the bracelet sales by the Aquinas Student Council and a bake sale by the Aquinas Cheerleaders, Aquinas students raised $1,050 to benefit Cathedral Academy. In addition to this donation, Aquinas students also sent 250 "Be Not Afraid" bracelets to the Cathedral Academy students with cards and notes.

Like other Catholic schools in the Arlington diocese, Aquinas has accepted students displaced by the hurricanes. The Aquinas community welcomed two new students and helped them get adjusted to their new Catholic school surroundings. "Each day, we pray for the victims and the relief efforts. The people of these areas will be in distress for some time. We hope to share with our students a personal connection to the people there," said Sister Maria Christi, O.P., principal.