When Pope John Paul II visited Immaculate Conception School in Los Angeles 18 years ago, he came with a message of support for Roman Catholic education and with rosaries for the students. This article tells the story of schools that took time to remember the legacy of the 84-year-old leader of the Catholic Church, who died April 2. Teachers and students at Immaculate Conception and other schools were not only mourning the pope's death, but also using it as an opportunity to explore the dramatic role the Polish-born leader played on the world stage during a 26-year pontificate that included visits to more than 100 countries and what many historians view as a crucial role in helping bring a peaceful end to Communist rule in Eastern Europe. Younger students were making collages from photographs of Pope John Paul, while older students were exploring his teachings on social justice and discussing the process of selecting a new pope. And a group of former students who were attending the school when the pope visited there came back to talk to current students about the experience. At Pope John Paul II School in Chicago, banners hanging outside the building proclaim in English, Spanish, and Polish a favorite phrase of John Paul II's, taken from the New Testament: "Be not afraid." Students there were following the extensive media coverage leading up to the April 8 funeral, while many of their parents recalled the pope's visit to their parish in 1979, on one of his seven trips to the United States.