Personal Narrative: Growing Up In A Catholic School

I was always the girl who loved to pick out my outfit the night before school, perfectly coordinating, with a bow to match. Then, I found out that I would be wearing the same outfit to school for the rest of my grammer school and high school days. After attending the quaint public school down the road from my house for six years, I found out that I was moving to Our Lady of the Hamptons Regional Catholic School. This was new territory for me.

My desire to work in the Catholic School system stems primarily from the ability to share my faith openly in such an environment, however, the Catholic School’s focus on the growth of the whole person, spiritual and academic and its commitment to service in the community and the world are also very important to me.

This has shaped me as a person beyond what words can express. Catholic schools truly prepare students for more than school and careers; they shape the whole person, body, mind, and soul, in Jesus. Imagine how different the world might be if every person realized and believed that God loves them just for who they are. Picture how different the world would be if we all viewed every other person as possessing that same degree of dignity and treated each other accordingly. Envision how different the world might be if people found their identity in Jesus rather than in the fleeting amusements and distractions so far beneath their worth. Can you imagine such a world? I can because of my education. Catholic school teachers can. Catholic school students can. Hopefully, together we will create a light that inspires others to realize the full truth of their potential and worth in God’s eyes, as well as realize the fullness of

I spent a year of college trying to be African. Afrobeats vibrated through the walls of Beets-Veenstra’s first floor dorm. My Christian college had an open-door policy. Walking past the ninth door on the left gave visitors an eyeful of my black hips swaying in circles as if an invisible hula-hoop entangled my waist. I had to get the moves I learned at the parties right. The beats were different from the hip hop music I regularly danced to. They were smooth tempos, but faster than reggae and bodies rocked with more control. My roommate complained about the hours I spent dancing in front of the mirror. We were not flat mates the next the year.

Growing up in Catholic schools all my life I have always been told, “God created this earth now it’s our job to save it and keep it as beautiful as possible”, yet my High School did nothing to keep it beautiful like we were always told. We did not recycle the hundreds of water bottles kids drank at lunch, papers we used everyday in class, old textbooks at the end of the year, the list can go on forever. Instead, all of those items have ended up in landfills, polluting the world. Everyone agreed something needed to be done about the problem, but nothing ever changed. My school, Boylan Catholic High School, even created a Go Green club that would hang up signs saying “Save the Environment” or “Don’t forget the 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”.

My Christian liberal arts education is a major factor in establishing my current vocation. As a junior at Wheaton College, my current vocation is to be a student. I feel called to give my best effort at everything I do, and every assignment I work on. In reading C.S. Lewis’s essay on “Learning During War Time”, I was encouraged by his explanation of how the pursuit of knowledge, and my vocation of being a student, are worthwhile and valuable, no matter the circumstances surrounding us (Lewis, p.43-45). Going to a Christian liberal arts school definitely influences my current vocation. By learning about many subjects by taking a well-rounded course schedule of classes, I can learn to appreciate a variety of subjects and understand more about

In the fall of 2014, I embarked on the start of my ephemeral high school experience. Reminiscing back onto my first day of school, I can recall the exact moment as if it was yesterday. The adrenaline spewing out of my veins as if I had just consumed a large amount of caffeine, the anxiety boiling in my nerves not knowing who my teachers were or where my classes were. But most of all, I recall the coalescing of my fellow classmates’ personalities and the censure everyone had towards each other. It was in this moment that I had realized that Northwest Christian High School was not a banal Christian environment. In fact, Northwest Christian High School was the antithesis of a banal Christian environment.

Throughout my adolescence, I have attended five different schools. They each had their pros and cons, but ultimately, I left each one except for Christian Brothers High School. For Middle School, I attended Lausanne; however, it became far too expensive. After Lausanne, I went to Germantown High School at the beginning of my Freshman year. This turned out to be one of my worst mistakes which, in turn, became one of my greatest failures.

The Central Catholic placement tests served as the last test I took before summer break. I anticipated that I would engage in honors classes and willingly took the fact that my workload would be stacked. As soon as I was handed my diploma a couple days later for meeting the requirements to finish the eighth grade, I forgot about homework, reading, and writing with only the idea of traveling to new places and relaxing in the back of my brain. Relatively, my first month of summer was dry of excitement and I didn't experience activities I would have liked to. My days consisted of working out for football, sleeping, and then catching up on whatever binge watching series I was on on Netflix. The so dreadful letter containing a list of the "required"

I started middle school at Bethany Middle school, I had my two older cousins going to school with me. One is the same grade I am and the other is two years older. It was nice having them but we all hung out with different crowds and sometimes we would not agree on the same things so we would not always get along. My first day of middle school was not as bad as i thought it would have been due to the fact that the Bethany middle school was not big at all. My 6th grade year was tough for me when it came to school work, i was used to the work from Central Elementary school and the Bethany Schools were much more strict and left a lot of homework so it was a big change for me. I remember my English class was the hardest along with science but I

Ryan Sanders Ms.Ross Never take things for granted, I remember like it was yesterday, April 27 2011 I was a freshman in high school. I attended Holy Family Cristeo Rey Catholic high school. I can remember we had to get dismiss cause the weather was supposed to be bad. So my mother picks me up from school, so we had got something to eat from this restaurant calls Ensley seafood, it was down the street from my school. So after we left there with my mother and I headed home, we live in Pleasant Grove. So after we ate, I went to laid down in my room because I was so tired school and I just didn’t want to be bothered. So all of a sudden my mother calls me in the living room and tell me Ryan Charge your cell phone and put some shoes on the weather

My time at Elk County Catholic High School is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I have made a large amount of memories throughout the past four years, especially on the sporting surfaces. I am upset about graduating in less than a month, but I am also excited to begin a new chapter in my life. I simply want to be remembered as a kid who made the most out oh his experience in high school. It has been my goal to keep good grades, along with having the most fun possible. This starts with spending time with my friends. I never pass on an opportunity to spend time with those whom I have made countless memories with since elementary school. I also made it a priority to play as many sports as possible. Sports in general are my

My husband and I agree whole heartedly that Catholic High School is the place for Blain to thrive spiritually, academically, and socially. Blain strongly desires to grow in his faith. As a family, we believe the brotherhood at Catholic High School will allow him to grow more in this area than any other school. Moreover, catholic education and values entwined in his daily routine are essential for us and Blain. Academics have been a strong focus in our family. As an educator, I have researched all of the schools in our area; Catholic High School leads the way in ACT scores, graduation rates, curriculum integrity, and university attendance. Blain has an intrinsic desire to learn; therefore we want him to attend the best school to provide

It was the Spring of my 8th grade year, and while most kids in my grade would consider Algebra as something they learned, I got to learn a life lesson about self-control. I was attending a private Christian school that year, and had been there since 4th grade. I had a few close friends, but also made a few enemies. I had a real issue with one student named Ethan and he would consistently get under my skin every chance he had by saying negative comments or making jokes about me. Instead of seeking help from teachers, I would just try to forget about it and move on. But every negative comment and joke they made really did get to me. During middle school I often dealt with anger and insecurity. Eventually all of these comments built up in me

Throughout the years you would never figure out how a kid would end up growing up to be. You don’t know if they are going to be good or bad but you always hope for the best, you never want them to get bullied or feel any pain. All you want is happiness for your kid and no worries. Nobody’s life is a fairytale and many people from reality shows lifes aren’t the real ones they put up with on a daily basis a but let me take you through my journey.