5/26/23 - Friday Forget-Me-Nots by Jim Silcott
Photo Caption: Grandpalathon!
Dear Our Lady of Peace Family,
Last week 40 7th graders spent two days together. 27 of them attend Our Lady of Peace. 13 of the students currently attend St. Anthony School which will close its doors for good next month.
On Wednesday, thanks to a generous grant from the Catholic Foundation and bus support from our Home and School Association, the 40 7th graders went up to Camp Mary Orton and climbed the Ropes Courses and zipline over tree lined canopies. Our 7th graders already had met their St. Anthony counterparts when they came individually for visits this winter. This was the first time all 40 were together. They encouraged one another and shared each other’s exhilaration at a successful crossing or completing their zip line landing.
At one point there was a student high up on perch who froze (I can relate. I did the same thing years ago trying to complete this course). The students prayed for her-out loud as a sign of support. How often do you hear about teenagers praying together spontaneously!
The weather was perfect for the task and the students had a great time together up in the trees.
The next day the St. Anthony students came over to school to participate in our second annual Constitutional Convention, an opportunity for future 8th graders to elect student council, recommend their destination for the 8th grade trip, suggest changes for the school and even plot their own consequences for discipline issues. It is called a constitutional convention because not only did the students vote proposals up and down, but these proposals will go to their parents and the faculty for ratification.
The beginnings of combining two schools into one began up in the trees. It was thoroughly cemented down in the basement. By the end of the day, it was not two schools but one class, the class of 2024. I admit that some of their proposals are a little far-fetched for my taste ( I will vote those down), but this is their first real taste of being a part of the conversation.
In August we will no longer say St. Anthony students and Our Lady of Peace students in 8th grade or any of the other grades. We will be one school under the care and guidance of Jesus Christ and His Mother, Our Lady of Peace. I think we will all be better for the upcoming experience.
None of this would have been possible without the overwhelming support from Our Lady of Peace Parish and our school community. From the beginning, the School Board, Father Dooley, the faculty, parishioners, and school parents have welcomed this outreach to St. Anthony, particularly for the 7th graders who must spend one year in a new school before changing again in high school. Our Lady of Peace is thrilled to have most of those students come to us. Keeping those students together with their friends as they take this new journey is a comfort to them and I know that they, as well as all the news students in the lower grades, will come to treasure their time here because of the welcome mat that this community has put at our door.
On Friday we had our second annual Grandpalathon. Grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, family friends all came together to celebrate Mass, to walk proudly together in the neighborhood and enjoy a picnic lunch. Once again, the weather was perfect after a prediction of rain. It was so special to see the love and support of our students from their families.
God means for us to be together with Him in community. We feel God’s presence in prayer and sacraments, but we visibly witness God’s presence in one another. The Our Lady of Peace community, in both the parish and the school is a special place that takes to heart Jesus’ promise that “Whenever to or more of you are gathered in My Name, there I am in the midst of you.” I know that our new students and their families will feel this when they become a part of our community this August. Thank you!
Jim Silcott
