ROGERS — Several hundred parents, teachers, students and alumni were on hand to help St. Vincent de Paul School celebrate its 50th anniversary Oct. 26-28.
After months of planning and research, the co-chairwomen for the event, Alesia Schaefer and Jean Pappas, were pleased with the response of the parish and the school visitors.
“I am having a really good time with it. It has been so much fun to learn more about the the history of the school and the people who started it all,” Pappas said.
On Oct. 26 in the school gymnasium, guests were treated to a special dinner with a 1950s menu: lettuce salad, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans and chocolate sundaes.
Student council members — some dressed in pink-and-black poodle skirts –served as waiters. Throughout the evening, a variety of 1950s songs played overhead.
“This was to commemorate the theme of the evening: Serving Up 50 Years of Catholic Education,” Schaefer said.
One of the highlights of the weekend was the presentation by Dr. Ray Guarendi, a clinical psychologist, author and radio host. His topic for the evening was “Laughter, the Sanity of Family.”
His professional experience includes work with school districts, drug prevention programs, juvenile court systems and mental health centers. In addition to his clinical work, Guarendi is the author of five books on parenting. Now in private practice, he is a syndicated parenting columnist, along with many national television and radio appearances.
Guarendi’s presentation was lively and full of humor as he shared nuggets of wisdom about his own family life with 10 children, ages 8 to 20 and all adopted. According to Guarendi, just a trip to the grocery store or the restaurant can be an adventure.
Whenever asked about what he learned by raising 10 children, he said, “Don’t take them out in public. However, we parents have our revenge because in 10 years, they don’t want us to go out in public with them.”
On a serious note, Guarendi said, “Something big has happened to the last two or three generations of parenting — something that is unprecedented in our culture. Raising children is more difficult today because we discipline less. When you discipline less, you have to lower your standards.”
He said every child will be disciplined — if not by the parent, by some other authority figure. “It will be done. They will do it — the judge, the employer, the landlord. Someone is going to do it. Love without discipline is child abuse,” he said.
Guarendi said parents often come into his office with “a litany of troubles.” This is where he sees a new moral standard.
“They tell me, ’At least, he is not on drugs,’ or ’We can’t get him to go to church.’ They feel like they have to take the bad with the good,” he said.
He then encouraged the audience to ask themselves, “What do you want to say about your child at age 22?”
“When you raise a God-seeking kid, what you’ll hear is, ’You’ve got a good kid.’ Unfortunately, we live in a microwave culture. We want it now. If nothing is working, we ask, ’How long is this going to take?’ It is all about authority, limits and control.”
Following his presentation, Guarendi signed copies of his books, “Discipline That Lasts a Lifetime,” “You’re a Better Parent Than You Think,” “Back to the Family” and “Good Discipline, Great Teens.”
Many parents were familiar with Guarendi because of his daily radio call-in show on Relevant Radio, a Catholic station that broadcasts in Rogers.
Principal Kristine Grelle said, “He was so funny and I laughed so hard, I was almost crying. A lot of other people were too.”
Sunday’s activities included a school reunion, with an alumni Mass and open house reception.
