Our Daily Show Interview! Principal Baird: Open House, and More at St. Ambrose!

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GODFREY - St. Ambrose Catholic School will host an open house for prospective families to check out everything the parish has to offer.

From 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, students and families are invited to stop by St. Ambrose at 822 W. Homer Adams Parkway in Godfrey to meet the teachers and staff, hear about the school’s updated curriculum, and learn more about everything St. Ambrose does in the community. Principal Robert Baird shared that St. Ambrose aims to educate the whole child with a focus on faith, academics and extracurriculars.

“We’re preparing people to be people, to be the best versions of themselves they can be, using the Lord and Savior as our example, Jesus Christ,” he said. “But then of course, preparing them for everything else, too. First and foremost, the academics, making them as strong and prepared for their high school and later college experience as they can be. That’s the focus and the mission of Catholic education and certainly what we do at St. Ambrose.”

Baird explained that St. Ambrose teaches students how to emulate Christ while prioritizing their academic readiness. The school accepts students from preschool through eighth grade.

When students graduate, most go on to attend Marquette Catholic High School or Alton High School. Baird said that St. Ambrose alumni join National Honor Society, receive Illinois State Scholar recognitions, and “rock the world” through their standardized test scores at a higher rate than the national average.

He believes this success is a testament to the St. Ambrose faculty, and he looks forward to introducing the teachers to prospective families during the Feb. 2 open house. He noted that the best way to get a feel for the St. Ambrose community is to schedule a tour or stop by the open house to meet the people who make the school stand out.

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“The beautiful, shining faces of our faculty, those are the people that are there showing the love to the kids, providing them the instruction and that direction throughout the day and throughout their years,” he explained. “So I want the parents to meet them, see the facility, certainly, obviously, have the opportunity to ask questions, provide a tour, but just get a sense of who we are.”

In addition to the open house, St. Ambrose is sponsoring a Cash Bash Raffle throughout the month of February, with the big drawing scheduled for March 1, 2025. The grand prize is $10,000, and early bird prizes will be drawn in the weeks leading up to March. Tickets cost $100 and only 500 tickets will be sold. You can purchase tickets online.

The Cash Bash Raffle is one of St. Ambrose’s largest fundraisers. The money will go toward a variety of school and parish projects, but they are currently raising funds for a new roof for the church. Baird estimates the final cost will be over $200,000, and any donation will help.

“We’d appreciate anything from a dollar to a million or anywhere in between,” he said.

As they prepare for the fundraiser and the open house, Baird credits smaller class sizes, family involvement and the teachers for St. Ambrose students’ success.

In recent years, the school has seen a few changes. Baird noted that safety is a top priority of St. Ambrose, and they have continued to update their safety protocols. The curriculum has also received an overhaul, and Baird said it’s now “in a good place” as they continue to update and improve it.

But while education at St. Ambrose has been “modernized,” the St. Ambrose values remain the same. He encourages people to stop by the open house to learn more about St. Ambrose’s mission to educate kids and help them grow into faithful adults.

“We’re working to help them be the best version of themselves that they can be, but with that focus on academics,” he added. “[We] continue to provide the kids good opportunities and an environment to grow in their faith.”

For more information about St. Ambrose Catholic School, visit their official Facebook page or check out SaintAmbroseParish.com.