Holy Family Catholic Academy (Inverness) has a lot to celebrate in this, the 15th anniversary of their founding.

The year began began with strong enrollment, receiving the Blue Ribbon for Exemplary Teaching and Learning from the US Department of Education, becoming the first middle school program in Illinois to achieve STEM Certification through AdvancED, and most recently, winning their first girls’ volleyball Northwest Catholic Conference Championship.

With every accomplishment, the school’s motto of “thinkers, leaders, grounded in faith” rings true, and the recent volleyball success is no exception.

Two of HFCA's beloved faculty members have been afflicted with breast cancer. Coach and HFCA parent, Jacqueline Majka shared, “We talked about breast cancer facts and statistics, and the girls were very interested to learn because breast cancer has hit close to home for them this year.” The girls have witnessed the cancer journey of middle school teacher, Pam Gannon, who is undergoing treatment. They also mourned the loss of HFCA’s first grade teacher, Jeanne Henry.

These girls along with the other HFCA girls’ teams dedicated their season to honor all breast cancer survivors and all who have passed away by wearing socks adorned with the breast cancer pink ribbon.

The girls named two plays “Henry” and “Gannon,” and before last night’s championship game, prayed for and dedicated their game to Mrs. Henry and Mrs. Gannon. States player, Rachel Salani, “We've seen the effects of breast cancer in our HFCA community. We gave it our all one last time for Mrs. Henry and Mrs. Gannon and all breast cancer survivors and victims.“

States Principal Kate O’Brien, “We're so proud of our athletes, but today we're celebrating more than a conference championship. We are celebrating our students both on and off the court as thinkers and leaders grounded in faith.”

For more information, www.hfcacademy.org