Graduates on what they value about their schools

By Mary Beth Peabody and Peter G. Sánchez

The Catholic Star Herald recently spent time with seniors — now graduates — from the six diocesan and three independent Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Camden. COVID-19, social distancing and remote learning aside, we wanted to know what they value most about their high school experience. We asked them what makes their schools unique, how prepared they feel for college, how they worked with and served others, and what advice they would give to someone just starting high school. We discovered so much more.

The 33 students we connected with in Zoom videoconferencing sessions will be featured by school on the Catholic Star Herald website and diocesan social media pages in the coming weeks. What follows is a preview of what some of our featured graduates had to say. One thing is universal: They love their alma maters.

A close-knit community

Across the board, students value a close community that most said feels like family – not only because of their friendships, but also their relationships with teachers and administrators who genuinely care about their interests and success.

“You’re really not afraid to express yourself because it really is a family, and since we are such a small school we are so tight-knit,” said Gloucester Catholic’s Chris Liscio. He said he especially likes the way students from all grades work together in clubs, sports teams and student council. “Everyone kind of gels together. … I feel like a lot of other schools don’t have that.”

Holy Spirit’s Morgan Grimmie said she appreciates how the staff at her school supports students by coming to school events, like sports competions and plays. “The school is a close-knit community. I feel I can talk to the staff, and tell them about things going on in my life.”

“Everybody talks about the sisterhood,” said OLMA’s Madeline Fawcett.

“I feel like from the outside, you don’t necessarily understand how real the sisterhood is. The whole school is just one big family, and I love it,” she added.

Building confidence

A lot of students told us their school helped them grow in self-confidence.

Sean Dougherty said being involved in Student Council at Wildwood Catholic gave him and others a chance to develop a voice — “a voice of respect, just being able to go out and talk to people. A lot of kids would be shy to go out and talk to the mayor or something. We have a daily communication with people of that power in the Wildwoods. It gave us maturity.”

Emily Torrence transferred to OLMA her junior year from a large public school where she felt “lost in the sauce.” She shadowed on a Wednesday and Thursday, and started on Friday, feeling loved and supported immediately. “There are a lot of opportunities to really come out of your shell. And that’s probably one of the biggest things about OLMA. You see this transformation from freshman to senior year.”

At Saint Augustine Prep, Luca Covino found high school a humbling and transformative experience, when realizing that “there’s two types of people: those who struggle, and those who ask for help.” He learned to ask for help and discovered confidence in a community where “there’s always someone to lend a helping hand. It means a lot.” 

Serving others

Catholic schools are known for their focus on serving others. Students were quick to share the impact of service on their lives. 

Harrison Keller from Camden Catholic helped organize the school’s blood drive and sandwich-making ministry. He said being involved in these activities gives one a “good feeling” in helping others, and “is a great way to connect.”

Kaitlyn Klitchko from Bishop Eustace said, “Every Sunday I visited a rehab center, helping sick patients and teens. I realized how much one person can mean to someone. These individuals look forward to us coming every week. The time is worth it, to see the smiles on their faces. Eustace is unique; service is part of our life.”

Holy Spirit’s Tom Finan mentioned the school’s “Field of Dreams” service activity, assisting special needs children participating in a baseball league. “It was fun seeing how we could help these kids, see their smiles as they ran the bases.”

Working as a team

Students see learning how to work with others as an important life skill.

Frank Donio, of Saint Joseph, admitted that “in grade school, I wanted to be in control of every project; at Saint Joseph, through teamwork and collaboration, I had to ask others for help. This experience raised my trust in people.”

PVI’s Erika Ezeiruaku talked about the significance of her peer leadership class. “That was a class that you had practically every day. … It wasn’t just seniors that you were working with. It was also juniors and your teacher as well. There was so much diversity within the group, and all the time you had to do things together. … If you can’t work with other people, then you wouldn’t have made it far.”

Andrew Pasco from Bishop Eustace recalled the struggles his swim team went through, and how they grew together as a team and found success after failure: “When you fail and you have to get past that failure, and you have people you can do so with, that’s where the best learning comes from.”

Growing in faith

Catholic schools welcome students with different faith traditions. Catholic and non-Catholic students alike said they experienced spiritual growth in high school.

“I went to public school before this, and only had a ‘textbook’ religion; I knew my faith, but not how to apply it to my life,” said Lauren Owens from Camden Catholic. “The priests completely changed my faith life. Now I can apply it to service; and in all my conversations, I see God, and see him in my surroundings.”

Angelo Fodera said he had never seen a priest until he entered Saint Augustine’s. “The first day, I saw a man in black who intimidated me. It was Father Francis Devlin. … He told me ‘There’s always lessons to learn, if you look around.’ Now I have a whole new appreciation for the world around me.”

Brooke Crowley from Saint Joseph High School in Hammonton said, “When I was in public school, I abandoned my faith. But at Saint Joseph, with the Masses, opportunities for confession and religion classes, I got back into it. I even ended up leading our school’s Kairos retreat, to help my classmates strengthen their faith.”

Ready for College

The students we met will arrive on a variety of campuses at the end of summer — from east coast to west, small liberal arts to the Ivy League, and service academies to large universities. They complimented guidance counselors for support in the college search and application process and said they felt well prepared for their next chapter, academically and through the other ways they grew during high school.

“Sometimes it can get a little intimidating asking for help and I think that’s something that Gloucester Catholic really normalizes,” said Bailey Heiney. “That’s something that’s helped me out personally … how they’ve actually helped me prepare for college — not to be afraid of my weaknesses, but to conquer them.”  

Colin McGravey said PVI is serious about its motto, Freedom with Responsibility. “PVI is able to try and instill that in us from freshman year on… It’s definitely prepared me to be on my own and take responsibility for myself, manage my time, keep a schedule, anything along those lines.”

From the wide range of courses offered, to teachers who bring material alive in the classroom and a counselor whose door is always open, Wildwood Catholic’s Annika Marks said she is ready for college. “Some of our classes are dual credit, so we’ll actually get college credit. I took psychology and statistics for college credits, along with AP classes, so when I get to college I’m actually going to go in with a bunch of credits … on a track to graduate in three and a half years.”