Holy Week isn't just for church anymore. At Derry Area High School, students in a 7-year-old after-school Bible club are marking "Jesus Week" starting today with school-wide Bible-themed activities.

Evangelical Bible clubs at Hempfield, Norwin, Latrobe and Burrell high schools in Westmoreland County and Albert Gallatin and Laurel Highlands schools in Fayette County also hold Jesus weeks.

At Derry, club members in the past handed out bookmarks, T-shirts, and What Would Jesus Do bracelets. They raffled Bibles and other gifts with a Christian theme by drawing locker numbers and calling out winners over the school intercom during morning announcements. Club members this year will mark each day with a different Bible-based fashion statement: sandals on "Walk With Him Day," camouflage for "March in God's Army Day."

Derry schools Superintendent Joe Bellissimo said it's a voluntary club, and students can participate or not, according to their preference.

Jesus Week dates back at least seven years at the school. It's a project of the Teens Aflame youth group, co-headed by junior Zac Gorski. His father, the Rev. Bruce Gorski, is pastor at Tree of Life Assembly of God in Latrobe and the boys' soccer coach at Derry Area. He conducts a popular baccalaureate service each spring, and starts each new school year with a prayer meeting for principals and teachers.

"Our purpose is to support one another and learn about God's word, and do what we can to spread God's love to fellow students," said Zac. "We sometimes get negative response. Sometimes people make fun. But Jesus will go through their heads sometime, and that's a good thing."

Jesus Week is a springtime outreach of Uniontown-based Teens for Christ, part of a national nondenominational evangelism group that dates to 1957. The Rev. Travis Deans said he supplies area youth groups with materials and ideas, but leaves participation and program coordination up to individual members.

Many choose to honor teachers during Jesus Week, he said. In Hempfield, the Bible club this week gave each teacher carnations.

Carol Litvik's son Josh is a senior at Derry. Their family is Catholic, and she didn't mind when Josh joined Teens Aflame two years ago.

"They're great kids, doing good things in the community. My favorite aspect is the prayer request sheet they keep outside the library -- there's a public library in the high school. You write a concern on the sheet, and the kids in the Bible group will pray for you. It's so nice the school lets them do that," she said.

Josh Litvik said he dropped out of the club because he felt some anti-Catholic sentiment, but he still supports the message. He's a Christian, he said, so he'll wear red on Thursday, for "He Bled 4U Day."

No one's complained so far, Mr. Gorski said.

"We're aware of how fortunate we are, and we're also mindful of other peoples' beliefs," he said. "This is a very open school, a real godsend for our family."

Mr. Deans said school Bible club members are free to express themselves so long as they are not disruptive. Their speech and assembly rights are protected by the Equal Access Act of 1984.

"We treat them the same as any other extracurricular club," said Derry High Principal Kathy Perry. "We don't endorse any one over the others. ... We have lots of ethnic groups here. No one is excluded."

"I can't remember [my faith] ever offending anyone," Zac Gorski said, "But I'm sure I have. I can deal with that. Jesus died for me. He's my maker. Loving him is what I'm about. Some people here may never see any Christianity otherwise."