Opening mass kicked the week off Sunday morning. Routt Catholic High School principal Gale Thoroman says high school students were at Our Saviour Grade School to read to grade school students yesterday.

Thoroman says the dress code has been relaxed this week, but students have been asked to help contribute to a canned food drive and serve meals at the Salvation Army.

He says Catholic Schools Week showcases Routt’s ability to educate Catholic and non-Catholic students beyond academics.

“Like Thursday before each class we have a prayer read before each and every class," says Thoroman. "Normally, we just start the day out with a prayer after we have the Pledge of Allegiance. That's one of those things that put it in perspective for a lot of people as far as values. We can do that and the law does not allow that to happen in a public school."

He says about 30 percent of Routt’s students are non-Catholic.

The week concludes Friday with closing mass in the morning, and boys’ basketball senior night in the evening.

Our Saviour Grade School principal Rita Carney says there are many activities planned at her school, too. Among them, students collected shoes to contribute to a clean water drilling project in third world countries.

“To me, it's one of the most important lessons that we can teach to the kids is to be thinking outside of their own little 'me-world' and be thinking about those that are struggling in different ways," says Carney. "We do have a mission every month and in January we always center it around out Catholic Schools Week theme."

According to the Department of Education, nearly 7,000 of the 132,656 schools in the United States are Catholic.