Students at Columbus St. Mary School in the German Village area celebrated the transition from kindergarten to first grade with the German Schultüte tradition on Friday, Aug. 22.
As part of the ceremony in the parish church, each first grader was called by name and came forward to receive a cone of goodies from other students.
Each grade gifted the first graders with sweet treats and spiritual encouragement such as Smarties and guardian angel bookmarks.
Mrs. Linda Cotter, who has been a teacher for St. Mary for 51 years, explained the roots of the Schultüte tradition, which was adopted by the school about 20 years ago.
“This is an Eastern German tradition where a tree grows in the school yard, and it has little tiny cones on it,” she said. “When the cones grow through the summer, they are picked in the fall and brought to school for the children.
“The cones are filled with sweet things that the kids would use for school. This tradition is meant to sweeten the start of the school year, to make it a lot more fun and a little less scary.”
Historically, most children didn’t attend kindergarten, so first grade was the beginning of their schooling. This tradition in the German culture served to welcome students to their educational journey.
“The community would also celebrate the students in addition to their parents, family and friends,” Mrs. Cotter said.
Bishop Earl Fernandes attended the ceremony and prayed over the students, asking, “God, would You pour out Your Spirit upon this school. Bring these students a spirit of love, wisdom and grace. May they have a safe and successful school year. Mary, Seat of Wisdom, pray for us.”
The celebration at St. Mary School took place on the Feast of the Queenship of Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth. Bishop Fernandes encouraged the students to foster a relationship with Our Mother, saying, “Mary is our Mother in heaven who pleads our cause. She prays for us and helps us.”
Father Tim Lynch, the parish pastor, then led the students in praying the Hail Mary.
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