How are you connected to AHS?
Our first connection to Assumption High School began when 8-year-old Daniel Murphy would come over with his neighborhood friends to play in our tree house with our daughter, Ellie Weyeneth. Having the Murphy family in our neighborhood and multiple neighbors who also attended Catholic Elementary Schools and Assumption High School (Taylor’s, Devries’, Graw’s gave us a positive experience with the Catholic Education community. Through high school choice, Ellie toured various local high schools and was accepted into the Davenport North High School Dual Enrollment Program and North Scott High School, although a faith-based education was at the top of our list. As the Admissions Counselor for Trinity Lutheran School, I encouraged students to attend the 8th-grade school visit at Assumption High School. Ellie and four of her classmates enjoyed the welcoming shadow experience, talk session with AHS students, and pizza lunch. As her parents, we greatly appreciated the faith-filled curriculum and the course planning session. Together, we knew that AHS was the right fit. And we have been so grateful for the people we have met and for those we have known for a while, yet continued to grow closer. We were prepared to be busy, productive, and supportive of the school’s mission. What we were not prepared for was how wonderful the experience would be and how fast it would go. Sitting on the other side of graduation, we smile when we think about our family’s time at AHS. Coming from a military family, we have shared AHS with multiple incoming families and will continue doing so at the Rock Island Arsenal.
Why did you choose an Assumption education for your students?
Education is more than memorizing facts, pondering theories, and learning new skills in activities that surface hidden talents. The high school years are formative in developing students who carry forward aptitude, gratitude, and compassion by leading with a moral compass to impact others. At Assumption High School, students are motivated to make a difference by living out their faith in daily service. Whether that is through discussions in theology class, singing in the choir at mass, participating in activities or sports, or parents supporting teachers and students through volunteer efforts, a faith-based education connects all of these endeavors to building a community of support for students and their families. Growing together in faith, knowledge, and character equips students to go out into the world, make a difference, and leave it better than they found it. We have found this to be true in admiring the students who have gone through AHS prior to our daughter attending and in her testimony throughout these past four years. We chose Assumption High School for the purpose of having a faith-based educational journey experience.
What advice or encouragement do you have to share with current and future students and families?
- Ellie: Get involved in as many activities as you can right at the start of freshman year. The more interests, the wider the variety of connections and friends.
- Parents: Care more about what your teachers think than what your peers think of you. Character will carry you through every time.
What is your favorite Bible verse?
- Ellie: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
- Parents: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.
