Bishop High graduate Rainbolt receives two awards
Sarah Rainbolt represents her school through her dedicated service to the community and academic success all while remaining true to her Catholic faith. She is just one of the more than 300 students graduating from Diocese of Venice high schools in May.
“It has been a rewarding experience being a part of something that creates such a difference in the community,” said Rainbolt of Bishop Verot High School in Fort Myers. “I am leaving behind my second family. I don’t believe I could have gotten that kind of connection in a public school.”
At her May 16 graduation, Rainbolt was recognized for her strong faith and dedication to service in the school and community with the Award for Outstanding Christian Ministry and the Award for Generosity to the School Community. What she learned at Bishop Verot went hand in hand with what she learned about her faith at home. She added that her education reinforced her beliefs. She said she would not be the same person today had she not gone to a Catholic high school where she felt as if she were part of a family.
That family a Catholic school provides offers the opportunity for all students to worship and pray openly while they are surrounded by symbols of God. A Cape Coral resident and parishioner at Resurrection of Our Lord Parish in Fort Myers, Rainbolt been active in her parish serving as lector, cantor and leader for Bible Camp and in the Senior Youth Group.
Arriving at Bishop Verot helped her develop the strong Catholic values her parents provided her all while growing into an independent free-thinking young adult.
“I am grateful for the religion classes we have where there is an open discussion of the issues of the Church,” she said.
While at Bishop Verot, she threw the discuss and shot put in track and was in charge of filming the football games. She was president of the Key Club, and a member of the Environmental Club, the Academic A-Team, student government and the Spanish Honor Society. She volunteered at environmental parks in the region, and at LARC (Lee County Associates for Retarded Citizens) as well as at Guardian Angels for Special Populations in Cape Coral, helping adults and children with developmental disabilities, and volunteering with the local Little League.
She plans to attend Eckerd College in St. Petersburg where she will major in environmental studies. She hopes to one day return to Lee County and work at for one of the national or county parks working to save endangered animals.
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The Diocese of Venice in Florida serves a Catholic population of approximately 250,000 in 10 Southwest Florida counties through 56 parishes, a quasi-parish, 7 missions, 5 chapels, 13 elementary and secondary schools, 2 special needs schools and a post-secondary school for adult-lay faith formation. For more information contact the Communications Department of the Diocese of Venice at 941-484-9543 or visit www.dioceseofvenice.org.