When it comes to helping more families enroll their children in diocesan Catholic schools, bike riding may not be the first thing that comes to mind.
But the staff of St. Rita School in Alexandria have started a school tradition stemming from the generous contributions of one alumni family.
“The Beiro family had many children go through St. Rita and remain active and supportive school alumni,” said Principal Malia Busekrus. “Their family had a bike shop, and many years ago they began sponsoring a school-wide essay contest in which the winner of each grade would receive a new bike from their shop. In the last few years, they have changed that to a $350 gift card from Amazon or another store that sells bikes.”
The school has held the essay contest, called “Tour D’Essay,” for 20 years in honor of Beiro matriarch Jean Ann Beiro. She fostered a love of writing, even typing the occasional article for the Catholic Herald in the 1970s. Hence, the essay contest was born of the family’s two loves for bikes and bylines in 2005.
This year, the contest’s prompt asked students to handwrite an essay on an inspirational saint who used their time and talents to assist others.
Through a private family foundation, Jean’s daughter and St. Rita School alumna Mary Beiro also makes regular, generous donations to the school for teacher bonuses, as well as a scholarship to one eighth grader on track to attend Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria.
Mary awarded the gift cards to winning students at a school assembly in honor of the Beiro family May 2. To celebrate, the school designated the day as “Bike to School Day.” Even parents were encouraged to join their children in the morning exercise.
Nativity Catholic School in Burke also offers an annual scholarship to students based on several criteria — with a service-based twist. The student who receives the full-tuition Kathy Davis Scholarship must complete a service project. Nativity Principal Maria Kelly said recipients have demonstrated intentionality and creativity with their projects over the last two years.
For fourth grader Maria Wilma Villa Padilla, 2024-25 Kathy Davis Memorial Scholar, that meant turning a personal passion into a gift back to the community. Padilla had a talent for making small, handmade soaps and selling them for Operation Starfish, a Nativity ministry benefiting those in need in Haiti. This led to her founding her own nonprofit last fall, Kind Leaders. The nonprofit’s mission, according to Kelly, is “to nurture kindness and cultivate leadership in children through faith-based service initiatives.”
“Guided by this mission, she launched Soaps-for-a-Cause, an innovative campaign that combined creativity, compassion and community,” Kelly added. “Through Kind Leaders, Rebecca organized a series of S.T.E.A.M.-focused soap making service events, where children and teens from the community crafted starfish-shaped soaps while exploring science, entrepreneurship, and the impact of giving back.”
Rebecca also launched an ambitious fundraising goal: to earn $5,000 by the end of May. So far, she’s raised $4,130. According to Kelly, “Contributions have flowed in from multiple streams including free-will donations after Masses one weekend at Nativity, where parishioners received handmade soaps in gratitude; proceeds from a school-based soap making project run by Nativity’s first and fourth grade students; and online sales hosted at KindLeaders.org.”
Seventh grader and 2023-24 scholarship recipient Piper Boland decided to stay close to home for her service project, donating her time to the elderly. She began a reading and activity program at a nearby Sunrise Senior Living facility — the program eventually became known among the residents as the “Piper Boland Social Hour.” During her program, she played games, swapped stories and formed friendships with the residents.
“This scholarship opportunity has been one of the most rewarding experiences and blessings that I have ever had,” Boland said. “Even though I have completed the requirements, I would love to continue to volunteer my time at Sunrise and maintain the friendships and connections I have made.”
Boland added that the project has brightened her life: “Walking into Sunrise each week in my Nativity uniform made me feel very proud to represent the legacy of Kathy Davis as well as my beloved parish.”
