Sometimes, students and members of the community can become overwhelmed when looking back on a semester. Minds immediately turn to “What did I do wrong?” or “That wasn’t the best move.” It is important to find moments that help us remember the good in life. When asked what their favorite memory from the first semester was, students and faculty responded with the following.
Freshman Breanna Klokkenga is new to the Saint Viator community. She came from a school where she didn’t know anybody.
“Finding new friends… I came from a public school so there weren’t many coming from my school. I think just connecting with other kids from my sports, cross country and basketball, helped me gain a lot of connections”. Her memories are more personal and reflect a time of new beginnings.
Junior Adorina Gorail, president of her class, spoke about one of the most popular, fun events of the school year: her favorite memory of first semester.
“My favorite memory from first semester was Homecoming. I had a lot of fun with all my friends and it was nice to have a nice break from schoolwork and tests and get to see everyone together”. Gorail helped plan the event and enjoyed seeing the results as well.
Assistant Director of Admissions, Mrs. Maggie Haskins, shared a personal anecdote about a new addition to her family.
“My favorite memory from first semester this year is having the Dance Team and FIRE Crew all meet my baby girl for the first time when I brought her to school when coming back from being on maternity leave”.
Senior Aaditya Patel spoke about Halloween Spirit week:
“Throwing pie at Mr. Witek’s face on Pie-a-Teacher day.” Students were able to buy a pie and pick any teacher, and Aaditya chose to participate.
Social studies teacher Mr. Joe Witek’s highlight of the semester involved pranking a freshman:
“This freshman has Mrs. McMahon as her counselor and had her initial check in meeting. She didn’t know her name, so I told her Mrs. McMahon’s name was Mrs. McGonagall. She walked in there and said ‘Hi, Mrs. McGonagall!’ and Mrs. McMahon said ‘That’s not my name’”. Mr. Witek remembers the year in making jokes with his students and ruining many first impressions.
All in all, Saint Viator students remember the good times, personal memories and group outings. Cultivating positive relationships and holistically reflecting back on the highlights of the first semester will help all bring positive energy into the next semester and beyond.